Former England captain Michael Vaughan criticized the Melbourne Cricket Ground surface after bowlers dominated the opening stages of the fourth Ashes Test against Australia.
A staggering 20 wickets fell on the opening day, with England choosing to bowl first. Australia was dismissed for 152, and the visitors struggled in reply, collapsing to 110 and conceding a 42-run deficit. The frenetic pace continued into day two, as England skittled Australia for 132 in their second innings, setting a target of 175 to claim their first victory of the series.
This was a rare occurrence in Australian cricket, with day one witnessing 20 wickets falling for the first time in 74 years in a Test played in the country.
Vaughan expressed his frustration on social media, stating on X, “This pitch is a joke .. This is selling the game short .. The players / Broadcasters and more importantly the fans .. 26 wickets in 98 overs !!!!! #Ashes.”
He was not alone in his criticism. Former England batter Kevin Pietersen also highlighted what he sees as a double standard, noting that pitches with spin-friendly conditions are often questioned, while seam-dominated surfaces escape similar scrutiny. “India always gets hammered when wickets fall like crazy on day 1 of a Test and so I hope that Australia gets the same scrutiny! Fair is fair!” Pietersen wrote on X on Friday.
On the field, England aggressively surged toward the target. By tea on day two, they had reached 77 for 2 from just 12 overs, losing Ben Duckett and Brydon Carse, while Zak Crawley was on 22 and Jacob Bethell remained unbeaten on nine.
Earlier, Australia’s second innings wrapped up shortly after lunch, with Travis Head’s 46 being the lone resistance, as Carse ended with figures of 4 for 34.