That pitch has too much life for Test cricket MCG surface under scanner

The MCG curator, Matt Page, had hoped to recreate the balanced surface used in last year’s Border-Gavaskar Test, one that lasted deep into day five. Instead, the Boxing Day pitch turned into a battleground almost immediately.

Page left 10mm of grass on the strip 3mm more than last year, and fast bowlers from both sides instantly found sharp seam movement. With unseasonably cool weather and obvious assistance for pace, both captains wanted to bowl first, and Australia even went with an all-seam attack.

Former players quickly voiced concerns that this wasn’t bravery or poor batting, it was simply too much help for the bowlers.

Stuart Broad didn’t hold back, saying:

"The pitch is doing too much, if I'm brutally honest. Test match bowlers don't need this amount of movement to look threatening."

He added that good Test tracks allow bounce and challenge, but don’t jag all over the place.

Former Greats Say Balance Was Lost

Glenn McGrath echoed the same worries, pointing out how abnormal the grass cover was.

"This pitch has got far too much grass on it… That pitch has got too much life in it for Test cricket…"

He explained it becomes almost impossible for batters to settle because:

"if you're looking to defend, one's got your name on it."

Even Alastair Cook who once scored 244 not out on a lifeless MCG pitch felt things had swung too far the other way:

"The bowlers didn't have to work hard for their wickets… It was an unfair contest."

Meanwhile, Brett Lee jokingly said Pat Cummins probably considered retrieving his spikes after seeing the wicket:

"I wouldn't be complaining at the end of the day if I was a fast bowler."

Top-order batters from both teams combined for just 45 runs, one of the lowest aggregates ever recorded. And yet, curiously, this wasn’t the first chaotic day of the series every player had batted on the first day in Perth too, though that pitch was rated “very good”.

Moments of Quality Amid the Turbulence

Josh Tongue produced a beauty to dismiss Steven Smith, and Scott Boland delivered trademark nip-backers to trap Harry Brook and bowl Jamie Smith.

Michael Neser remained the top-scorer with 35 for Australia and later took 4 for 45, saying afterward that patience not panic was the key:

"When we bowled, we had to just be patient and let the wicket do the work."

What Happens Next?

The ICC has recently encouraged more sporting surfaces, especially after the 2017-18 Ashes pitch was slammed for being lifeless. Now the pendulum may have swung too far, and conversations will likely continue behind closed doors.

If it stays lively, another flurry of wickets could end the match far earlier than expected, something nobody wants from a Boxing Day Test.