Melbourne Pitch Receives 'Unsatisfactory' Rating From ICC After Boxing Day Test Finishes In Just Two Days

AUS vs ENG: The Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch has received an unsatisfactory rating from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after the Boxing Day Test finished in just two days. 20 wickets fell in the first day as pacers unleashed powerpacked display on a spicy MCG surface.

ICC Brands MCG Pitch As Unsatisfactory

Match referee Jeff Crowe was in charge of submitting a report to ICC and as per the official website, he has rated the pitch as “Unsatoisfactory” as it favoured the bowlers too much. “The MCG pitch was too much in favour of the bowlers. With 20 wickets falling on the first day, 16 on the second day and no batter even reaching a half-century, the pitch was ‘Unsatisfactory’ as per the guidelines and the venue gets one demerit point.”

Surprisingly, the Perth pitch was rated as “Very Good” despite the match lasted just five balls lesser than the MCG Test. Melbourne has now received one demerit point and as per the official rule, if a venue accumulates six demerit points within five years, it faces a one‑year ban from hosting international cricket.

This happns to be the first time asn Australian venue will be punished under the revised grading system, updated in 2023.

Cricket Australia Staring At A Huge Loss After MCG Test

Cricket Australia could lose upto a ticket revenue of $3 million, given a record 101,514 crowd attended the Test over two days. Australia posted a loss of $11.3 million in the 2024-25 financial year, and they were banking on the summer to ramp up their revenue. The last Test match will take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 4.

Also Read: Gus Atkinson Ruled Out Of Remaining Ashes Series, England Decide Against Naming Replacement For Sydney Test

England have avoided an whitewash riding on their pace battery. Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse came out top across the two innings combining 12 wickets between them.

Also Read: EXPLAINED: Here's How An 'Unsatisfactory' Rating From The ICC Could Impact MCG After 30 Wickets Tumble Under Five Sessions In 4th Ashes Test