By Chris Barrett
The Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch on which the Boxing Day Test was played has officially been labelled "poor" by the International Cricket Council, in a highly embarrassing blow for the world-famous ground.
As forecast by Fairfax Media, the game's global governing body delivered a formal rebuke of the much-criticised MCG wicket, rendering it in infamy as the first international pitch in Australia to receive a poor rating.
Wake up: A groundsman takes a sledgehammer to the MCG pitch during the Boxing Day Test.Credit: Wayne Ludbey
Australian captain Steve Smith and England rival Joe Root had been scathing in their assessments after the fourth Ashes Test was drawn and match referee Ranjan Madugalle chose to come down hard in his report delivered to Cricket Australia on Tuesday.
"The bounce of the MCG pitch was medium, but slow in pace and got slower as the match progressed," Madugalle said in his report.
"The nature of the pitch did not change over the five days and there was no natural deterioration. As such, the pitch did not allow an even contest between the bat and the ball, as it neither favoured the batsmen too much nor it gave the bowlers sufficient opportunity to take wickets."
Madugalle had the option to brand the drop-in pitch a less severe "below average", but determined that rating was not a sufficient sanction for the MCG surface.
Cricket Australia, which has promised to work with the Melbourne Cricket Club to improve playing conditions there, was given 14 days to respond.
The ICC has the option of handing down a fine of as much as $15,000 after a response has been submitted, but that is considered unlikely for a first-time offence.
"We were disappointed that the traditional characteristics of the MCG pitch did not come to the fore during the Boxing Day Test," CA chief executive James Sutherland said.
"We work closely with all our venues to encourage the best possible international cricket playing environment. We are looking for the right balance between bat and ball, and pitch and ground conditions in keeping with the venue's traditional characteristics. Such a rating is extremely disappointing for all involved.
"We'll be taking on board advice from the ICC, players and relevant experts to work with the Melbourne Cricket Club to ensure this rating is not repeated."
The real penalty for the MCG, and for CA by extension, is in reputational damage.The Boxing Day Test is seen by many in the game as the pinnacle event on the cricket calendar, certainly in Australia, and more than 260,000 spectators watched last week's match between Australia and England.
There was backlash about the pitch, however, almost from the outset, and the ICC rating is a black mark in the ground's history and a blight on its status as one of the world's premier Test venues.
The only fortunate element for the MCG was in the timing. The fourth Test was the last in the world to be played before a new demerit-points system comes into place that can lead to international grounds being issued with suspensions of up to two years for substandard pitches and outfields.
Under the new rules a poor pitch rating would result in three demerit points being accrued, with two points for a below average wicket and five points for a strip deemed unfit. If five points in total are accumulated over a five-year period, the venue can be banned for a year, while 10 points over the same time results in a two-year suspension.
The regulations under which the MCG pitch was judged do not give the ICC power to ban grounds, but they will be replaced after the Twenty20 series between New Zealand and the West Indies ends in Mount Maunganui on Wednesday.