Ashes: 'Might drop 'very' from 'very good'' — Gavaskar after two-day Test at MCG
The Melbourne Cricket Ground witnessed an unprecedented two-day Test, sparking outrage over pitch quality. Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar sarcastically questioned the contrasting ratings of the Perth and Melbourne pitches, highlighting the financial and sporting implications of the rapid finish. He subtly critiqued the perceived double standards in evaluating groundsmen's work.
England team at MCG; and Sunil Gavaskar
NEW DELHI: The Melbourne Cricket Ground, long celebrated as one of the sport's grand theatres, became the stage for another uncomfortable debate about pitch quality after the Boxing Day Test ended inside two days, prompting biting sarcasm from batting great Sunil Gavaskar.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!What was expected to be a five-day spectacle unraveled at alarming speed. All 20 wickets fell on the opening day as the ball swung extravagantly and jagged sharply off a surface that offered uneven bounce and relentless movement. The carnage continued on day two, and by the evening session England had sealed a four-wicket win — their first Test victory in Australia since January 2011.
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In total, 36 wickets fell in just 142 overs. The rapid finish not only shocked fans but also delivered a heavy financial blow. Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg estimated the shortfall from the Melbourne Test at over AUD 10 million, compounding the damage after the Perth Test earlier in the series also finished within two days. It is the first time in 129 years that the same series has produced multiple two-day Tests.
MCG head curator Matt Page admitted he was in a “state of shock” watching the mayhem unfold. Ten millimetres of grass had been left on the pitch, a decision that produced excessive seam movement and bounce, making survival with the bat a near-impossible task.Gavaskar, however, cut through the official explanations with trademark wit and sting. Reacting to yet another short-lived Test in Australia, he pointed to the irony of the Perth pitch earlier in the series receiving a glowing assessment.
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Do you think the pitch quality at MCG is suitable for Test cricket?
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“Another Test match in Australia has finished in less than two days of cricket,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar. “The Australian Cricket Board's CEO says it is not good business and most, if not all, cricket fans in the sub-continent (read India) are screaming blue murder about the quality of the pitch given in Melbourne.”He expressed astonishment at the earlier verdict on the Perth surface, adding: “They were astonished when the first Test match pitch in Perth was given a very good rating by the match referee Ranjan Madugalle.”Turning his attention to Melbourne, Gavaskar sharpened the blade further. “Since there is a new match referee, Jeff Crowe, for the Melbourne and Sydney Test matches, the rating could be different,” he wrote. “Since 36 wickets fell in the Melbourne Test instead of 32 in Perth, Crowe might drop the word ‘very' from the ‘very good' that Madugalle gave for the Perth pitch and rate the MCG pitch as good. Surprises never cease, of course, so we may get another rating.