Cricket Apr 29, 2026

The Ashes: Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton on whether MCG pitch was acceptable with Cricket Australia set to lose millions of dollars

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
The Ashes: Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton on whether MCG pitch was acceptable with Cricket Australia set to lose millions of dollars

The drought is over.

After 15 years, England have finally won another Test in Australia, coming out on the right side of a fast-moving, two-day clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Talk of a 5-0 whitewash can now be parked but you sense there will be plenty more chat about the MCG surface, which featured 10mm of grass, as 36 wickets fell in just 142 overs of a wild match.

None of those 142 overs were bowled by a spinner with seamers monopolising on a heavily-grassed pitch on which no batter passed 50 - Travis Head's 46 for the hosts the best of the lot.

The brisk finish will cost Cricket Australia millions of dollars as ticket refunds are issued and the organisation suffers lost sales in merchandise, food and drink.

CA CEO Todd Greenberg told SEN Radio before day two: "A simple phrase I'd use is - short Tests are bad for business. I can't be much more blunt than that.

"Historically we have taken a hands-off approach in all of our wicket preparation...but it's hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, particularly commercially."

But what did Your Site' men at the ground Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain make of the heavily-grassed wicket as this Ashes series experienced a second two-dayer in four Tests after the blink-and-you'll miss opening contest in Perth?

Hussain said: "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 then asked fellow pundit Atherton whether he thought the MCG surface was acceptable for Test cricket.

Athers said: "It wasn't dangerous and it was fair to both sides in the sense that it didn't change. It was a shoot-out on a difficult pitch. But in terms of spectacle it's unsatisfactory.

"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.

"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 broad variety of skills and the game develop 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."

England captain Ben Stokes said his feedback to match referee about the surface would "not be the best", adding: "Being brutally honest, that's not what you want for a Boxing Day Test match.

"You don't want a game finishing in less than two days. I'm pretty sure if that was somewhere else in the world there'd be hell on."

When asked by reporters if Stokes was referring to Asian pitches that can spin prodigiously, he said: "Those are your words, not mine."

Australia skipper Steve Smith, deputising for the rested Pat Cummins, said: "I think the pitch was too much. It was tricky.

"When you see 30-odd wickets across two days it is probably too much. Maybe we could drop the grass down from 10mm to 8mm.

"It would be good if it was a little bit longer and we were able to entertain the fans some more but it wasn't to be."

Australia lead five-match series 3-1

Tags:

cricket news

Share this article

Related Posts

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: Teenage wonderkid becomes second fastest player to reach 1,000 IPL runs but falls short of century

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: Teenage wonderkid becomes second fastest player to reach 1,000 IPL runs but falls short of century

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the joint-second fastest player to reach 1,000 runs in the Indian Premier League on Friday but was unable to lift Rajastha...

Brendon McCullum exclusive: England coach on Ben Stokes, how side will evolve after Ashes and new opener Emilio Gay

Brendon McCullum exclusive: England coach on Ben Stokes, how side will evolve after Ashes and new opener Emilio Gay

Head coach Brendon McCullum says England's Ashes thrashing has left himself and Ben Stokes "crystal clear" how they want to work together as he backed...

Jacob Bethell: England all-rounder expected to be fit to play in first Test against New Zealand, despite finger injury

Jacob Bethell: England all-rounder expected to be fit to play in first Test against New Zealand, despite finger injury

Jacob Bethell is expected to be fit to play in England's first Test match of the summer against New Zealand, starting on June 4, after the all-rounder...

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breaks record for most sixes in IPL season with ridiculous 97 off 29 balls for Rajasthan Royals

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breaks record for most sixes in IPL season with ridiculous 97 off 29 balls for Rajasthan Royals

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fell agonisingly short of hitting the fastest century in IPL history but smashed Chris Gayle's 14‑year record for the most sixes...

England vs India: Nasser Hussain confused by Charlotte Edwards' side's selection in 38-run defeat

England vs India: Nasser Hussain confused by Charlotte Edwards' side's selection in 38-run defeat

Nasser Hussain questioned England's selection after Charlotte Edwards' side suffered a disappointing 38-run defeat to India in the opening match of th...

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: Teenage wonderkid becomes second fastest player to reach 1,000 IPL runs but falls short of century

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: Teenage wonderkid becomes second fastest player to reach 1,000 IPL runs but falls short of century

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the joint-second fastest player to reach 1,000 runs in the Indian Premier League on Friday but was unable to lift Rajastha...