The Melbourne pitch was heavily favourable for the pace bowlers.
The 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 tumbled on Day 2, with no batter managing to hit a half-century across the match.
Former England spinner Monty Panesar was critical of the MCG strip, calling out double standards about how there’s plenty of chatter when the ball starts turning from day one in India.
“When in India, we can see wickets falling, let’s say, 15-16 wickets in a day. Everyone says, ‘Oh! The ball shouldn’t be turning on day one’. Then why is the ball seaming so much? And this is not great for Ashes cricket. If Test cricket is to survive, Ashes cricket needs to last at least four to five days. And if you’re going to have, like, a two-day Test match, it’s like, the Perth Test match and the Brisbane Test match, in record, are the two top games where we lost 18-19 wickets, where the Australian comes in the top five," Panesar told Hindustan Times.
Notably, 19 wickets fell on Day 1 of the Ashes opener at Perth. That match also ended inside two days, costing Cricket Australia millions of dollars.
Panesar mince no words as he said such contests will harm the Ashes brand. “What I’m trying to say is, if cricket is to survive, then you shouldn’t have two-day Test matches. This is not good for the Ashes brand, nor is it good for Test cricket. And then the other argument is, well, if the ball turns on the first day, and I’m from a spinner’s point of view, then please don’t complain the ball’s turning too much, because today, it’s seaming way too much," he remarked.
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.