MCG curator Matt Page has admitted he is “in a state of shock” after the Boxing Day Test wrapped up inside two days, the pitch offering plenty for the seamers and little relief for anyone with a bat in hand. England won by four wickets, their first Test victory in Australia since January 2011, but the bigger talking point was a surface that spat, seamed and, in the end, shortened the holiday showpiece to just 142 overs.
Page, who left roughly 10 mm of live grass on the strip because forecasts suggested hot weather on days three to five, did not hide his disappointment. “I was in a state of shock after the first day, to see everything that happened, 20 wickets in a day,” he said. “I’ve never been involved in a Test match like it, and hopefully never involved in a Test match like it again.”
The curator, well regarded for the slow rebirth of the MCG square after the dull draws of 2017-18, stressed that producing a balanced contest remains his north star. “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.”
England captain Ben Stokes was frank on day one, suggesting that if a pitch like this were served up elsewhere “hell” would be unleashed by critics. Steven Smith, speaking after defeat, felt the grass cover tipped the balance a touch too far: “It probably offered just a little bit too much… Maybe if you took it from 10 to 8 mm, it would have been a nice challenging wicket – maybe a little bit more even.”
Inside Australia’s dressing-room, Travis Head – whose counter-punching 46 stood as the match’s highest score – offered empathy for Page and his staff. “I feel for him. It’s bloody tough,” he said. “You leave 1-2 mm on with high-quality bowling and you find yourself short, and you take 2-3 mm off with high-quality batting and you leave yourself the other way.”
Head also cast his mind back to contrasting surfaces earlier in the summer. “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],” he said. “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 1-2 mm 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?”
The upshot, once the dust settles, is likely to be a careful review between Cricket Australia, the ground authority and Page’s team. A pitch can be shaved or rolled a fraction here or there, but the Boxing Day Test commands a global spotlight; two-day finishes give precious little return for travelling supporters and broadcasters alike. That said, players on both sides acknowledged that skills, not just grass length, decide games. England, led by Chris Woakes’ eight wickets in the match and a combative 32 from Stokes when it mattered, adapted a bit better. Australia, chasing only 113, slid to 48 for 5 and never fully recovered.
Page will now turn to BBL duties before thinking about next year’s marquee fixture. The curator sounded determined rather than defensive. “We’ll learn from it, we’ll grow,” he repeated, a mantra that will be tested as soon as the MCG hosts its next red-ball contest.
For purists, the pitch debate is an old one: live grass encourages seam, removes the dead time and creates entertainment, yet leave on a whisker too much and the game runs away. The curator’s job, as ever, sits somewhere in that uncertain middle ground.
