MCG Curator Left Stunned as Travis Head Extends Support After Two-Day Test Finish

The quick finish of the Boxing Day test has stunned the MCG pitch curator, Matt Page. He was amazed after watching wickets tumbling one after another on the opening day of the Melbourne test. Alongside him, the Australian cricket board was also astonished about how quickly the fourth Ashes test ended, giving them a hefty loss of up to AU$10 million.

Matt Page said he was in a state of shock after witnessing the opening day of the MCG Test. He never expected the Melbourne wicket to play like this, as it had never previously offered such big seam movement in any test match.

"I was in a state of shock after the first day, to see everything that happened, 20 wickets in a day. I've never been involved in a Test match like it, and hopefully never involved in a Test match like it again.” said MCG pitch curator, Matt Page.

"Every year is different and the margins are very small, but in the back of your mind, you're always trying to provide that contest. We're about trying to provide captivating Test cricket, that balance between bat and ball going four or five days.” added Matt Page.

He took responsibility for preparing a pitch that was not ideal for Test cricket. He viewed it as a valuable learning experience that will help him and his team produce better surfaces with greater knowledge in the future.

"We've produced a Test that's been captivating, but it hasn't gone long enough and we'll take ownership of that. We'll learn from it, we'll grow, and we'll make sure that we'll get it right next year." said Matt Page while talking to the media.

Travis Head Offers Support to MCG Curator

The explosive opening batter of Australia, Travis Head, offered his support to the ground staff. He said both Australia and England batted poorly on the opening day, which is why wickets fell quickly.

"Adelaide last week was probably one of the better batting wickets I've seen and I think we batted poorly on day one; England probably batted poorly [too]. When we went to bed on day one, everyone was talking 500-600, and if one team bats really, really well then goes big, we'd potentially see a draw in a batting-friendly game and go, 'Oh, has it gone the other way?'” said Travis Head.

"You're 1-2mm [of grass] away from it going the other way and seeing a more bowler-friendly week… You've got to take the good with the bat. Everyone's trying to evolve and get better.” added Travis Head.

He then cited last year’s test match, in which India struggled with the bat on the final day. He offered his support to Matt Page, acknowledging how difficult it must have been for him to see the surfaces play out in that manner.

"You look at the Test match last year, and India batted poorly on the last day… It probably looks like it's going to a draw, and then there's question marks around: are we going too far the other way?” said Travis Head.

"I feel for him [Page]. It's bloody tough. You leave 1-2mm on with high-quality bowling and you find yourself short, and you take 2-3mm off with high-quality batting and you leave yourself the other way." added Travis Head.

The pitch curator then stated that his team would take lessons from the last match, however, they would not revert to the 2017 pitch preparation approach, which was widely criticized by cricket experts.

"We don't want to go back to where we were in 2017. If we don't have seam movement here at the MCG, we become very dull, very lifeless and very flat, which is no good for the players, no good for the spectators, and no good for the game." concluded Matt Page.