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MELBOURNE: The curator of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Matt Page said he was left shocked and disappointed after the fourth Ashes Test ended inside two days.
With the series already done and dusted, the fourth Test — like the first Test also concluded within two days as England managed to register their win in Australia since 2011.
Following the result, former and current cricketers criticised the pitch behaviour and called for a better balance between bat and ball.
Page admitted that he was disappointed with the outcome of the Boxing Day Test, which drew a record crowd on the opening day, but failed to last beyond two days.
“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.
Reflecting on the pitch conditions in th recent years, Page reiterated the need to strike a balance between batters and bowlers.
“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,” he remarked.
“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,” he added.
The curator also recalled the 2017 flat deck and stressed the importance of seam movement to avoid lifeless pitches.
“We don’t want to go back to where we were in 2017,” he said, referring to the Test in which former English skipper Alastair Cook scored an unbeaten 244.
“If we don’t have seam movement here at the MCG, we become very dull, very lifeless and very flat, which is no good for the players, no good for the spectators, and no good for the game,” Matt Page concluded.
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