MCC stands firm over pitch controversy for Boxing Day Test

The MCC has declared the Boxing Day Test is going nowhere, as rival states circled the summer’s showpiece sporting event.

MCG head curator Matt Page inspects the troublesome pitch on Sunday morning. Picture: Getty Images

The MCC has declared the iconic Boxing Day Test is going nowhere, as rival states circle the summer’s showpiece sporting event after the MCG was plunged into crisis over the weekend.

Victoria’s Sheffield Shield clash against Western Australia was abandoned on Sunday because of fears over player safety on the dangerous pitch, but MCC officials are confident of a good surface for the Test against New Zealand on an adjacent strip.

Rival states are eyeing the famous Test, with Perth Stadium boss Mike McKenna declaring his ground wanted to host India on Boxing Day next year.

“The opportunity for us to take the Boxing Day Test this year is a real long shot,” McKenna said. “But next year is not out of the question. Both the venue and the state government would be very keen to talk to Cricket Australia about a Boxing Day or New Year’s Test.’’

MCG head curator Matt Page and his ground staff face pressure to get the mix right for Boxing Day on a strip that hasn’t been used in the Shield this season.

Stream the Australia v New Zealand Domain Test Series Live & Ad-Break Free During Play with KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly>

MCC boss Stuart Fox said Boxing Day belonged at the MCG and backed Page to get the balance right after several boring Tests played on lifeless decks. “It’s the biggest, most iconic Test in Australia, very well attended and it’s the rightful home,” Fox said.

An Ashes-like crowd will fill the MCG for New Zealand’s first Boxing Day appearance in 32 years. Thousands of Kiwis are flying over and close to 90,000 could attend day one.

The maligned MCG drop-in wicket has been criticised as being too docile in recent years and has received unfavourable ICC ratings.

It is understood Page wet-rolled the track and left the extra moisture in the pitch. The moisture led to divots that hardened under a baking sun and made the surface unplayable.

Western Australia batsmen Shaun Marsh and Marcus Stoinis both underwent concussion tests after being hit by Peter Siddle deliveries that rose sharply and unexpectedly on Saturday before play was abandoned for the day.

Page spent Saturday night cross-rolling the pitch but it was still so dangerous on Sunday that the match was abandoned in bright sunshine.

“We’ve had some issues with a lack of life in the pitch and we’ve been working over the last 18 months in particular to try and produce better pitches,” Fox said.

“This one wasn’t perfect — far from it — and we may have just pushed it a little too far.

“We’ve all wanted more life in these pitches. We didn’t want this much. (But) we don’t want to overcorrect and go backwards again.”

Fox spent Saturday night on the phone to CA boss Kevin Roberts discussing the pitch.

CA head of operations Peter Roach spoke to high-performance boss Ben Oliver and New Zealand powerbrokers on Saturday night to reassure them Boxing Day would go ahead.

Roach said the Black Caps were “relatively comfortable” with the MCG.

“I’ll be nervous on Christmas Day (but) the Boxing Day Test will go ahead,” Roach said,

This year’s Boxing Day pitch was built in 2012, which is the MCG’s newest batch, and Page will start preparing it next Monday.

“We have made changes, like removing the concrete base in the middle. So we actually think we’re on the right path,” Fox said.

“The drop-ins severely deteriorate by day five. Ours haven’t shown that, and that’s why we’ve been trying to liven up things in the early stages of the game.”

Marsh and Victoria captain Peter Handscomb agreed with Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Alistair Nicholson that the correct call was to abandon the Shield match.

CA will attempt to reschedule the Shield match, with rules stipulating it should now be played in Western Australia, but if it can’t be rescheduled the two teams will split the points.

Meanwhile, as crisis engulfs the MCG, Sydney Cricket Ground members have made it clear they don’t want their 22 yards of history tampered with. The SCG Trust has a “wicket committee” conducting a review into whether a drop-in pitch would work in Sydney, following a push from the AFL and the Sydney Swans.

In the SCG’s latest newsletter, chairman Tony Shepherd attempts to reassure members that the Trust is acutely aware of their concerns over the prospect of the 140-year-old wicket block being dug up and replaced.