Overview:
Both teams were dismissed on Day 1, with 20 wickets going down. Australia collapsed on Day 2, posting 132, giving England a target of 175, which they achieved after losing six wickets.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday revealed the pitch rating for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The apex body slammed the track after the fourth Test lasted for two days and branded the pitch as unsatisfactory. The venue also got one demerit point under the monitoring process of the ICC.
Jeff Crowe who was the match referee for the Melbourne Test, explained the reason behind the verdict.
“The MCG pitch was too much in favour of the bowlers. With 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 said.
If a venue accumulates six demerit points, it is banned for 12 months.
The fourth Ashes Test was dominated by the bowlers, with not a single batter managing a fifty. This was second two-day Test in the ongoing Ashes, following the series opener at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The previous Test series to feature more than one red-ball game finishing in two days was in 1912, and this is only the fourth instance of such a scenario in Australia’s Test history.
Both teams were dismissed on Day 1, with 20 wickets going down. Australia collapsed on Day 2, posting 132, giving England a target of 175, which they achieved after losing six wickets.
The pitch came under criticism, with England and Australia captains Ben Stokes and Steve Smith openly questioning the nature of the track.
Despite England’s victory, Australia had already clinched the Ashes, having won the first three Tests. The final Test of the series is scheduled to start at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 4.