Shane Warne says day-night Test will solve MCG pitch farce

SHANE Warne wants the iconic Boxing Day Test to be transformed into a day-night affair after fans had to endure five dull days of Ashes cricket at the MCG this week. Do you agree?

SHANE Warne says the Boxing Day Test should become a day-night game if the MCG can’t produce a competitive pitch.

One of the famous ground’s favourite sons made the bold call after the dullest Test of this Ashes series sparked calls for the Melbourne Cricket Club to dig up its drop-in pitches at the ’G and start again.

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Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland, a strong supporter of day/night Tests, has maintained the MCG and SCG would retain their traditional status as marquee day-time venues in the heart of the holiday period, but Warne was adamant last night that something must be done to spice up a fixture that left the Australian and England teams fuming.

Two of the past four MCG Tests have been draws and Australia gave up on winning by stumps on day three, forced to batten down the hatches and save the Test.

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Warne said it should be a watershed moment for the MCG.

“If the MCC continue to produce these sorts of pitches here for 250,000 people then it’s worth considering a day-night Test match for the Boxing Day Test,” Warne told News Corp Australia.

“It’s a great time of year to maybe have one next year against the Indians and see how it goes.”

A groundsman takes a sledgehammer to the MCG pitch on day five. Picture: Michael Klein

Departing Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide said it was time the MCC discarded the set of drop-in pitches that have offered nothing for years, and that left both Darren Lehmann and England coach Trevor Bayliss frustrated yesterday.

Australia’s high performance manager Pat Howard was in discussions with ground staff after play.

At a time when Test cricket is at a crossroads, many greats say it’s bordering on unacceptable for the Boxing Day Ashes Test at the MCG — an occasion arguably unmatched in cricket — to be rendered so dull.

In a matter of just a few years, Adelaide Oval has discovered an almost perfect mix for its drop-in strips, a sign that with the latest technology, even artificial squares can create exciting Test cricket.

The MCG became a drop-in in 2001-02, Adelaide only four years ago.

Dodemaide said it was time to realise there were better ways to produce drop-ins than Melbourne has managed. That might involve starting again.

“I think we’ve got to talk about it,” Dodemaide told ABC Grandstand.

“Clearly with these drop-in pitches, I think they’re some of the first that have been installed there, we’re still learning about the technology, but for mine I think we should be aiming for more variation, particularly as the game goes on, you want the pitch to break up, bring more players into the game, chasing runs or defending is harder as the game goes on, and I think these ones are just getting better and better (to bat on) and they’re not breaking up.

“We have been working with the curators to try different things to get that variation later in the game, we need to talk about it more. If these are the original pitches that came into the ground, they’re probably nearly 15 years old now, and it might be that the lifespan of a particular drop-in pitch might be shorter than what we saw originally for the pitches that were all-year round.

“So it may be that we need to dig them out every so often, start again, and just that sweet spot for a pitch’s lifespan might be a lot younger than what we’re used to in a normal pitch.

“I think the chat’s been around the evidence has been there that the drop-in pitches have been improving (elsewhere). Certainly the discussion has gone up a gear.”

Steve Smith batted for more than seven hours on an MCG pitch that lacked spice. Picture: Michael Klein

MCC chief executive Stuart Fox claimed the pitch produced a good contest, but admitted a review was necessary.

“While this Test pitch did produce a good contest, it has not contained the bounce and pace that we expected,” Fox said. “As the game progressed, the surface did not deteriorate nor bring the level of unpredictability that was anticipated.

“We review all elements of our performance at the conclusion of every event, and the quality of the pitch is no exception. Overall, we remain confident and determined to produce portable wickets that generate entertaining Test cricket. Portable pitches have been used at the MCG for more than 20 years and drawn Tests have been a rarity in that time.”

Originally published as Shane Warne says day-night Test will solve MCG pitch farce