₹60 Crore loss! MCG curator breaks silence after 2-day Ashes pitch debacle shames Australia
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) curator, Matt Page, has finally opened up on producing a disastrous two-day Ashes Test pitch that cost Cricket Australia (CA) around AU$10 million (₹60 Crores approx).
Matt Page said that he was "really disappointed" to see the way pitch behaved and was in "a state of shock" seeing 20 wickets fall on the first day of the play.
Ashes 2025-26: Fourth Test at MCG ends in two days
The Ashes 2025-26 result was sealed at the Adelaide Oval itself as Australia managed to win the first three Test matches on the trot to retain the urn.
Australia won the 2-day series opener in Perth by 8 wickets, before winning the next two matches in Brisbane and Adelaide by 8 wickets and 82 runs.
The pitch produced for the first Test came under scrutiny after the match finished inside two days. An early finish meant that Cricket Australia (CA) suffered a massive financial blow, and they hoped that such short Test matches wouldn't happen again in the rest of the series.
However, disaster struck in the fourth Test match at the MCG as 20 wickets fell on Day 1 itself and on Day 2, the Three Lions chased down 175 to register a 4-wicket win - their first Test win on Australian soil in nearly 15 years.
Also, it was the fourth Test in history that finished inside two days in Australia, with the first three being Australia vs West Indies in 1931 in Melbourne, Australia vs South Africa in 2022 in Brisbane, and Australia vs England in 2025 in Perth.
MCG curator promises 'NO MORE 2-Day Pitches'
Cricket Australia (CA) is expected to suffer losses of up to AU$10 million, and MCG curator Matt Page is obviously unhappy with that and has promised that no such 2-day Test matches will ever happen at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
"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," he said.
"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.
"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."
I feel for him - Travis Head supports MCG curator
Australian opener Travis Head came out in support of the MCG curator Matt Page after the early finish to the match and said his job is "bloody tough". Travis Head said (as quoted by ESPNCricinfo):
"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?'
"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.
"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? 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."
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