MCG curator in ‘state of shock’ at two-day Test

Matthew Page, the head curator of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, described England’s two-day defeat against Australia as a “state of shock” in a statement released on Monday.

After Page and his team left 10mm of grass on the field for the fourth Ashes Test, 76 wickets fell in six sessions.

Following the series opener in Perth, England finished the second day’s evening session with a score of four wickets. England won their first Test match since 2011 in Australia.

According to Cricket Australia (CA), the early finish will result in revenue losses of approximately 10 million Australian dollars ($4.97 million).

Ben Stokes, England captain, claimed that if the Melbourne pitch had been created elsewhere in the world, people would have raised “hell” despite the victory of his team.

Prior to Tests in Australia, pitch curators or groundsmen frequently address the media, but Page took the unusual decision to speak on Sunday following the MCG’s Test’s conclusion.

He said, “I’ve never been in a Test match like it, and I hope never to be.”

We are aware that our plans didn’t work out as planned. We’ll examine what needs to be done to get better.

Before the Test, stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith claimed that batters would “must be on their game” and that the pitch was “furry and green.”

The opening day saw the most wickets fall in a first-day Ashes Test since 1909, the most in that period.

After the first day, I was shocked,” Page said. It’s obvious that we’re disappointed that we’ve only been gone for two days.

The Melbourne pitch has previously received criticism for hosting an Ashes Test. The bowlers struggled to get enough help for the team in the 2017 drawn match, which ended in a dull contest.

England’s Alastair Cook added an unbeaten 244 wickets to the match, which fell to just 24 overall.

Stuart Fox, the CEO of the Melbourne Cricket Club, explained that there had been a pitch review since then, and Page provided details on the surfaces used for recent Tests.

For this year’s contest, some MCG pitches had longer grass than the 10mm required, while the fifth-day match between Australia and India was played on a pitch with 7mm of grass.

Due to the hot weather that was anticipated for the Test’s final stages, Page decided to use 10mm of grass this year. On Monday, the fourth day, temperatures are expected to reach 32C.

Day three of the MCG was a sell-out after almost 190,000 spectators were present for the first two days. The Ashes attendance record of all time had the potential to be broken.

CA are not covered by any losses resulting from this test. Although the A $10 million figure is significant, the A $600 million revenue forecast does not significantly affect it.

In an effort to please both broadcasters and ticket holders, Fox revealed that there were discussions about returning players for an exhibition match on day three. It is believed that the England team did not progress well enough to bring those issues up.

He said, “There were alternatives discussed.” There was talk of players taking a hit, but it didn’t work.

Fox claimed he believed in Page and that he was the best groundsman in Australia.

The Test is now in two days, Fox said, “We’re obviously disappointed.” We didn’t intend for or want this to occur. We are in a difficult time right now.

“This pitch clearly favors bowlers and doesn’t give the batters a good chance to get set.” It demonstrates how much money Matt and his team are losing.

We are aware of the effect this has had on both Cricket Australia and the fans. I have complete faith in Matt and his team.