Boxing Day Test Shocker: Curator Reflects on Bowler-Dominant Pitch

Curator's Shock Over Pitch Conditions

Matthew Page, the head curator at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, expressed his disbelief after witnessing 20 wickets fall on the first day of the Boxing Day Test. He acknowledged that the pitch heavily favored bowlers.

In a bid to improve conditions, Page decided to maintain 10mm of grass on the pitch, an increase from the 7mm used during last year's match when Australia triumphed over India on the fifth day. However, this choice proved detrimental, leading to a staggering 36 wickets falling in just 142 overs over six sessions, culminating in England's four-wicket victory on the second day.

Reflecting on the experience, Page stated, 'I was in a state of shock after the first day.' He added, 'We’re obviously disappointed it’s gone two days. We produced a Test that was captivating, but it hasn’t gone long enough. We’ll learn from that and make sure we get it right next year.'

Page noted, 'I’ve never been involved in a Test match like it and hopefully I’m not involved in a Test match like it again.'

Despite securing their first Test win in Australia since 2011, England's captain Ben Stokes criticized the excessively bowler-friendly pitch, suggesting that similar conditions in other parts of the world would lead to chaos.

'We know this hasn’t gone as we planned. We’re trying to balance that contest between bat and ball throughout, over the four or five days, to provide that captivating Test for all,' Page remarked.

Batters from both teams faced challenges due to significant lateral movement caused by the wobble seam. Page explained that the decision to leave extra grass was influenced by the hot weather forecast for the latter part of the match.

'We left it longer because we knew we were going to get (hot) weather at the back end that we knew we needed our grass (for). You look back at it and you go, ‘well, it’s favoured the bowlers too much days one and two.'

'If that doesn’t happen, then we set ourselves up really good for day three and four,' he added.

With over 90,000 fans expected for the sold-out third day, the early conclusion of the match, marking the second such instance in the series, is projected to cost Cricket Australia (CA) more than AUD 10 million.

While many former players criticized the pitch conditions, Australian opener Travis Head, who scored 46 runs in the second innings, expressed sympathy for Page and his team.

'I feel for him. It’s bloody tough. You leave 1 or 2mm on with high-quality bowling, you find yourself short, or you take 2 or 3mm with high-quality batting and you leave yourself the other way,' Head commented.

'Everyone wants to see someone win. Everyone wants to see wickets. No one wants to see a bloke get 300. There needs to be a balance, and sometimes we’re going to see the balance, like last week (the third Test in Adelaide) err to the batters, and some weeks we’re going to see it err to the bowlers.'