The fourth test of the Ashes raised so many concerns and controversies, as the test match continued just for two days, a total of 36 wickets had fallen, and England clinched their first victory. Now, after introspection, ICC slammed the Melbourne pitch with one demerit point and labelled it as dissatisfactory.
This bizarre event also remained a backfire for the Australian cricket board as they faced a loss of INR 69 crores approx for this short test match. It is the second time in this series that a match came to an end just two days, which leaves many astonished, as the so-called stalwarts of test cricket remained unable to stay on the field for more than that. Though the ICC then labelled the Perth pitch as very good. The Perth test match was also the first test match of the series, and is also the third shortest Ashes match by balls, continuing for only 847 balls.
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The ICC Elite Panel match Referee Jeff Crowe, gave the verdict and said that the pitch was heavily in favour of the bowlers.
"The MCG pitch was too much in favour of the bowlers, 20 wickets falling on the first day, 16 on the second day, and no batter even reaching a half-century. The pitch was 'Unsatisfactory' as per the guidelines, and the venue gets one demerit point." He added.
Australian cricket board’s reaction
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said on SEN radio, “A simple phrase I'd use is short Tests are bad for business. I can't be much blunter than that."
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Adding to that, he said, what role CA itself can play in ensuring the ‘bad business’ doesn’t become a consistent issue, Greenberg stated that he would not prompt any sort of directive to curators for stadiums around the country. However, he also added that remaining passive on the matter was not the answer either.
A bizarre Boxing Day at MCG
On the first day of the MCG Test, only 76.1 overs were played, during which 20 wickets fell. On the second day, Australia set a target of 174 runs, which England chased down in just 32.2 overs, losing 6 wickets.
A test is ending within two days in a SENA country, and the four games of a series like Ashes, which continued a total of 13 days between the so-called flag bearers of test cricket, are something to raise questions about as much as the questions that came to the subcontinental games.
