Melbourne Pitch Debate Erupts After Ben Stokes Points Out Indifference: 'Would Unleash 'Hell' Elsewhere'

AUS vs ENG: England bounced back in roaring style as they registered their first Ashes victory on Australian soil in nearly 15 years. There had been severe criticism after Australia secured the Ashes at Adelaide with a thumping 82-run victory.

English cricketers were under severe pressure after a viral video of an inebriated Ben Duckett sparked debate online. The England opener had endured a tough time on the pitch as he had hardly managed to get the ball rolling in the first three matches.

Ben Stokes Ignites Melbourne Pitch Debate After Historic Win

The Melbourne pitch witnessed some excellent pace bowling as 20 wickets fell on the very first day. Both England and Australia bowlers enjoyed some much-needed assistance from the MCG surface as the match ended in two days. This has now raised questions about the nature of the Melbourne pitch.

After Perth, this happened to be the second instance when the match ended on the 2nd day itself. England captain Ben Stokes raised questions and pointed out that if it were anywhere else, then the pitch would have attracted much more criticism.

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As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he said, “Being brutally honest, that's not really what you want. Boxing Day Test match. You don't want a game finishing in less than two days. Not ideal. But you can't change it once you start the game and you've just got to play what's in front of you.

"But I'm pretty sure if that was somewhere else in the world, there'd be hell on. Not the best thing for games that should be played over five days. But we played a type of cricket that ended up getting the job done."

Pace Bowlers Masterclass On Display At Melbourne

Josh Tongue took advantage of a spicy Melbourne pitch as his third five-wicket haul sent Australia packing for a paltry 152 runs in the 1st innings. England batters then failed to read the Aussie bowlers, as Scott Boland and Michael Neser utilised the seam movement and Australia took a valuable 42-run lead.

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Brydon Carse's four-wicket haul inflicted a batting collapse, and riding on Jacob Bethell's quickfire 40, England picked up a historic win at Melbourne.