England won the Melbourne Test inside two days on a pitch assisting pace bowlers.
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain made a scathing assessment of the Melbourne pitch served for the fourth Ashes Test, calling it “farcical at times" after the match ended inside two days.
The MCG surface was prepared with 10 millimetres of grass on the wicket, making it heavily favourable for the pace bowlers. As many as 20 wickets fell on the opening day while 16 wickets crumbled on Day 2, with no batter managing to hit a half-century across the match won by England.
Heading into the second day’s play, the Three Lions had a lot to do as Australia were 46 runs ahead with all 10 wickets in hand.
However, Australia’s second innings folded for 132. It left England chasing 175 to win, with Jacob Bethell (40) and Harry Brook (18*) propelling the tourists home for the loss of 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. 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," Hussain said, as quoted by Sky Sports.
Another ex-England captain Michael Atherton shared his verdict on the Melbourne pitch, highlighting the huge financial setback for Cricket Australia.
"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 remarked.
Comparing this MCG Test to subcontinent matches that end quickly due to rank turners, Atherton said, “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.
With this victory, England avoided any danger of an Ashes whitewash. The five-match series currently stands at 3-1. The fifth and final Test will be played at SCG from January 4.