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The Ashes: Sir Alastair Cook says Melbourne pitch made for 'unfair contest' on day one as 20 wickets fall between Australia and England

After 20 wickets fall on opening day of Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, former England captain Sir Alastair Cook says pitch made for "unfair contest" - "Unless this flattens out on days two, three and four, if we get there, then that was too heavily weighted in the bowlers' favour"

Friday 26 December 2025 13:35, UK

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Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton reflect on a 'bewildering' 20-wicket day one of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG - and whether the pitch was too tough for batters

Sir Alastair Cook says the bowler-friendly MCG pitch on day one of the Boxing Day Ashes Test made for an "unfair contest", while Michael Vaughan called it a "shocker".

England rolled Australia for 152 in 42.5 overs after winning the toss only to be torpedoed for 110 inside 30 overs in reply as 20 wickets fell on a single day of an Ashes Test for the first time since 1950.

Speaking to TNT Sports, former England captain Cook said of the surface, which had 10mm of grass left on it: "This is not a great Test wicket.

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Score summary - Australia vs England, fourth Ashes Test

Australia 152 all out in 45.2 overs in first innings (put in to bat): Josh Tongue (5-45), Gus Atkinson (2-28), Ben Stokes (1-25), Brydon Carse (1-42); Michael Neser (35), Usman Khawaja (29), Alex Carey (20)

England 110 all out in 29.5 overs in first innings: Harry Brook (41 off 34 balls), Gus Atkinson (28 off 35); Michael Neser (4-45), Scott Boland (3-30), Mitchell Starc (2-23), Cameron Green (0-1)

Australia 4-0 after one over in second innings: Scott Boland (4no), Travis Head (0no); Gus Atkinson (0-4)

"Unless this flattens out on days two, three and four, if we get there, then that was too heavily weighted in the bowlers' favour.

"The bowlers didn't have to work that hard for wickets.

"Could both sides have batted slightly better? Yes, but if you put the ball in the right area, it was going to nip either way. It was a bit of an unfair contest."

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Did the MCG pitch do too much?

Scott Boland registered figures of 3-30 from nine overs on his home ground, dismissing Jamie Smith, Will Jacks and Harry Brook and looking a constant threat throughout, while Michael Neser struck four times and Mitchell Starc twice.

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Cook added: "I was watching some of that bowling and I was thinking, 'I don't know how you face that'.

Australia's Scott Boland celebrates the wicket of Harry Brook in Melbourne (Associated Press)
Image: Australia's Scott Boland (left) celebrates the wicket of England's Harry Brook on a wild Boxing Day in Melbourne
Stuart Broad
Image: Stuart Broad was also critical of the MCG surface

"The pitch should flatten out tomorrow [Saturday] but the groundsman was telling me he doesn't think it will do."

Cook's fellow pundit and former England international Graeme Swann added on TNT Sports of the pitch: "It did a bit too much. It's not dangerous, but it is a little bit unfair."

Another ex-England captain in Vaughan described the deck as a "shocker" while commentating for Fox.

Atherton: Pitch tough but no 'snake pit'

Sky Sports Cricket’s Michael Atherton:

“Was the pitch too much?

"It did a fair bit and when you have someone like Joe Root struggling to get away, Steve Smith getting bowled, you have to say the conditions are very much in the bowlers’ favour. But it wasn’t a minefield or a snake pit.

“Partly because batters don’t trust their defence as much and partly because it is the way of things, whenever the ball does a bit the default reaction is to have a go.”

England fast bowler Josh Tongue excelled in helpful conditions, registering his third Test five-for with his wicket of Steve Smith, bowled middle stump, one to savour.

In the tourists' reply only Brook (41 off 34) and Gus Atkinson (28 off 35) passed 20.

Tongue said of the surface on TNT Sports: "The amount of grass that was on it, that lateral movement helped me massively, especially with my type of bowling.

Josh Tongue celebrates his five-wicket haul on day one of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG (PA Images)
Image: Josh Tongue took five wickets for England, including Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne

"It is doing a bit out there with the new ball but I think how Brook batted out there gave it back to the Aussies. Gus at the end as well. It is about having a plan."

Australia's Neser said when asked if the pitch was too seamer-friendly: "I'm a bowler, so no. You can't judge a wicket until the end of the game."

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