England captain Ben Stokes delivered what he described as a “brutally honest” verdict on the much-criticised MCG pitch, where the fourth Test of the ongoing Ashes series ended inside two days. Despite England sealing a historic win, their first on Australian soil in 15 years, Stokes said a surface like the one used in Melbourne would cause an uproar elsewhere in the world. He also admitted that his feedback to the match referee “won’t be the best”.
A staggering 20 wickets fell on the opening day, marking the first time both teams were bowled out on Day 1 of a Boxing Day Test. Australia then collapsed around the lunch break on the second day, getting dismissed for just 132 and setting England a modest target of 175. Although already beaten in the series after losses in the first three Tests, England made light work of the chase, winning by four wickets.
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None of the batters from either side managed a half-century, a rarity not seen on Australian soil for 93 years. The Melbourne Test was also the second match in the ongoing Ashes to finish inside two days, following the opener in Perth. The last time a series featured more than one two-day Test was back in 1912, while this was only the fourth such instance in Australia’s Test history.
With the MCG pitch under scrutiny, Stokes did not hold back.
{{/usCountry}}With the MCG pitch under scrutiny, Stokes did not hold back.
{{/usCountry}}"Being brutally honest, that's not really what you want," Stokes said. "Boxing Day Test match. You don't want a game finishing in less than two days. Not ideal. But you can't change it once you start the game and you've just got to play what's in front of you.
"But I'm pretty sure if that was somewhere else in the world, there'd be hell on. Not the best thing for games that should be played over five days. But we played a type of cricket that ended up getting the job done."
When asked if his comment referred to the reaction had a two-day Test been played on a subcontinental pitch, Stokes said: "It's your words, not mine."
The final match of the series will be played in Sydney, starting January 4.