Former England captain Nasser Hussain described the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch for the fourth Test of the Ashes series as ‘farcical at times,’ joining Michael Atherton in a wave of sharp criticism after the match concluded within two days.
The 10mm of grass left on the pitch led to 36 wickets falling in six sessions at the MCG. England achieved a four-wicket victory, marking a 14-year wait for a Test match win in Australia. They dismissed Australia for 132 in their second innings, setting a target of 175, which they reached after losing six wickets.
“I don’t think the great Shane Warne would have thought that was acceptable, and I don’t think it’s acceptable not having spin at all, and there being so much movement in the surface,” Hussain stated on Sky Sports after the match. “It was farcical at times. That can be thrilling, but there are traditionalists who like the ebbs and flows and the slow build. This was not slow; it was in fast-forward, and we have enough of that whether through T10, T20, The Hundred.”
Seamers bowled all 142 overs in a match where no batter reached fifty, and the unusual conditions are expected to cost Cricket Australia (CA) millions in ticket refunds and revenue losses from merchandise, food, and drink sales.
Atherton remarked that the pitch made for an unsatisfactory spectacle. “It wasn’t dangerous, and it was fair to both sides in the sense that it didn’t change. It was a shoot-out on a difficult pitch. But in terms of spectacle, it’s unsatisfactory.”
He added, “There was not an over of spin bowled in the game, and you have 90,000 people who have got tickets for day three, so this is going to cost Cricket Australia an absolute bomb. You also had players saying the only way to play on the pitch is in an unorthodox manner, so for all kinds of reasons, it is an unsatisfactory feeling.”
Atherton compared this MCG quick Test to matches in the subcontinent, which often conclude quickly due to overly accommodating spinning conditions. “I liken it to one of the rank turners we have seen in Asia in recent years, where the pitch spins from the start. It is a fair contest in that both sides have an even chance, but it doesn’t necessarily allow for the whole range of skills to show.”
“England supporters will clearly be thrilled they have seen a win, and so will England players, but people watching will be thinking, ‘what kind of Test cricket have I seen?’ You come to watch a wide variety of skills, and the game develops over a period of time. You are going to get extreme conditions from time to time, but we have had two now in this series, and I don’t think we want to see this too frequently,” he concluded.