The Ashes: MCG pitch ruled 'unsatisfactory' by ICC following two-day Test
ICC has ruled the surface for Boxing Day Ashes Test which lasted only two days as 'unsatisfactory'; per guidelines, the MCG receives a demerit point which will last five years; first Ashes Test in Perth also lasted only a couple of days, but surface at The WACA was rated 'very good'
Monday 29 December 2025 11:09, UK
The Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch has received a demerit point after being deemed 'unsatisfactory' by the International Cricket Council Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.
It comes after a whirlwind fourth Ashes Test concluded after just two days of play, as 36 wickets fell across only 142 overs with no batter managing to record a half-century.
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Thanks, in part, to the pitch at the MCG, England secured their first Test victory on Australian soil since 2011, but Australia have already retained the Ashes after winning the first three Tests.
Head curator Matthew Page admitted he was in a "state of shock" at how the penultimate match of the series unfolded on a surface that had 10mm grass left on, producing lavish movement for seam bowlers.
Despite England's four-wicket win, captain Ben Stokes felt there would be "hell on" if the Melbourne pitch was produced elsewhere in the world, and the ICC has handed down its second-lowest rating.
Match referee Jeff Crowe said: "The MCG pitch was too much in favour of the bowlers. With 20 wickets falling on the first day, 16 on the second day and no batter even reaching a half-century, the pitch was 'unsatisfactory' as per the guidelines and the venue gets one demerit point."
Pitches are rated either 'very good', 'satisfactory', 'unsatisfactory' or 'unfit'. If a ground receives six demerit points over a rolling five-year period, it will be hit with a 12-month ban from staging international matches.
While the first Test at Perth last month also produced a two-day finish, with Australia drawing first blood in the five-match series, the pitch there received the ICC's highest rating of 'very good'.
Sky Sports pundit Michael Atherton said of the surface: "It was a shoot-out on a difficult pitch. But in terms of the spectacle, it's unsatisfactory.
"You come to watch a broad variety of skills and the game develop over a period of time. You are going to get extreme conditions from time to time but we have had two [two-day Tests] now in this series and I don't think we want to see this too frequently."
With no spin bowling seen at all in the game, Sky Sports' Nasser Hussain said: "It was farcical at times. That can be thrilling but there are traditionalists who like the ebbs and flows and the slow build. This was not slow, it was in fast-forward and we have enough of that whether through T10, T20, The Hundred."
Broad: Pitch did too much in 'unacceptable' MCG Test
Stuart Broad, England's second-highest Test wicket-taker, added: "To have two two-day Test matches in the series is remarkable, and it's not good for the game. To not have a 50 in a Test match is unacceptable.
"Day three, on a Sunday here in Melbourne, there were going to be kids who got tickets at Christmas that won't be able to come, that is disappointing.
"The pitch did far too much. With Test match bowlers, you don't need to give them that level of assistance. The art of Test match bowling is getting movement out of surfaces that lesser bowlers think are flatter. There was far too much movement in the surface."
England's consolation win, which leaves them trailing 3-1 with only the final Test in Sydney to go, is set to financially impact Cricket Australia, reportedly to the tune of around £5m.
A sell-out crowd of over 90,000 was due for day three and the lack of play on Sunday will mean an avalanche of refunds as well as lost sales in merchandise, food and drinks.
The final Test of the series will be played in Sydney, beginning on January 4.
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26
Australia lead five-match series 3-1
- First Test (Perth): Australia won by eight wickets
- Second Test (Brisbane): Australia won by eight wickets
- Third Test (Adelaide): Australia won by 82 runs
- Fourth Test (Melbourne): England won by four wickets
- Fifth Test: Sunday January 4 - Thursday January 8 (Sydney)
