MCG pitch gets a complete tune-up in bid to prevent another Boxing Day bore-a-thon
NEW MCG curator Matt Page has done an “aggressive renovation” of the controversial drop-in pitches to avoid a repeat of last summer’s Boxing Day Test bat-a-thon.debacle
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NEW MCG curator Matt Page has done an “aggressive renovation” of the controversial drop-in pitches to avoid a repeat of last summer’s Boxing Day Test bat-a-thon.
The dull Ashes draw drew widespread criticism and the MCG wicket became the first Australian pitch to get a “poor” rating from the International Cricket Council.
New rules give the ICC the power to suspend repeat producers of bad pitches from hosting international matches for a year and the MCC and Cricket Australia were put on notice after last summer’s Test.
The bore draw, in which 1081 runs were scored but only 24 wickets fell, followed four Sheffield Shield draws at the MCG last summer, leading to calls for change.
The MCC and CA embarked on a full-scale review and Page has the task of producing the perfect Boxing Day pitch.
Page, who crossed to Melbourne in January after five years at the WACA Ground in Perth, decided to reduce the block from 10 pitches to seven.
The first five went in on Wednesday night and the final two Thursday night.
The concrete base, on which the pitches sat since they were first installed 20 years ago, was replaced by sand to create a more “natural” environment.
Page dismissed suggestions the pitches were too old, saying all had been dug out and replaced over time.
Aussie captain Steve Smith: “ I don’t think it was a great cricket wicket. It was flat, it was hard to get out, but it was also hard to score runs. It’s a bit of a pity really. I just don’t think it’s good for anyone.”
After the work, it’s hoped the block, criticised for its hardness, will break down more easily.
“There’s going to be pressure for Boxing Day, but I’m looking forward to it,’’ Page said yesterday.
“We’re really happy with where the pitches are at.
“It’s a problem solving thing for me … they haven’t deteriorated in the past, and maybe that’s because we have had 10 pitches.
“And the Test wicket hasn’t had any traffic on it because the pitches either side haven’t been used coming in to Boxing Day.
“So we’ve only got seven pitches, put the Test pitch in the middle, and we’ll play Shield games on the wickets either side, get the players running over the area, and get some natural wear and tear into the square.”
Page wasn’t worried at all about a potential repeat of last summer’s Test.
England captain Joe Root: “It’s as flat a wicket as you’ll see. There was no pace and no spin and if we played for four (more) days it would be exactly the same.”
“What happened last year is irrelevant in my mind, because every Test wicket you produce there is pressure,” he said.
“We’re very confident here in that we can move forward this summer.
“We’ve got three Shield games leading in to the Test … and we will use those three games to play around with minor things to ensure we get a contest come Boxing Day.”
The new MCG wicket block will have its first big test when Victoria takes on NSW in the second round of the Shield, starting on October 25.
ANATOMY OF A BORE-A-THON
- Only 24 wickets fell across five days.
- Australia only made 244 runs on the opening day.
- England’s first innings of 491 stretched in to day four.
- England opener Alistair Cook batted for over 10 hours to make 244.
- Australia batted for the final five and a half-sessions, losing only four wickets, before the match was mercifully ended just after tea on day five.
- Australia’s overall run-rate of 2.42 for the match was its lowest in a home Test for nearly 24 years.
- David Warner scored the slowest half-century of his Test career and Steven Smith ground out his second-slowest Test hundred.
Originally published as MCG pitch gets a complete tune-up in bid to prevent another Boxing Day bore-a-thon
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