England sneak consolation win in Boxing Day Test that lasts just 142 overs on diabolical MCG pitch

England players congratulate each other after win in Melbourne (AP Photo)

Glenn McGrath’s 5-0 Ashes predictions - as reliable as the sun rising in the east - have been almost on the money in Australian conditions, so hapless have England been there since winning 3-1 in 2010-11. But on a diabolical MCG pitch, England proved McGrath and their dozens of critics wrong with a four-wicket win in the Boxing Day Test.

The match, which drew an aggregate crowd of over 186,000 in the two days of play, was over in 142 overs, with 16 wickets falling on the second day after the first had seen both teams bowled out. With Ben Duckett, in particular, Zak Crawley and Jacob Bethell swinging their bats at almost everything, England’s Bazballers finally gave the Barmy Army something to cheer about while chasing down 175 for victory.

After the opening day, when Australia had managed a lead of 42 despite scoring only 152 in the first innings, even McGrath had been moved to comment on the conditions. "That pitch has too much life in it for Test cricket,” he said. “It was 10mm of grass when I think 7mm would have been better, but I think he [the groundsman] was more concerned with what was happening on days three, four and five.”

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It was a view that found agreement from the English media as well. “We're always looking for a fair balance between bat and ball,” said Michael Vaughan, Ashes-winning captain in 2005, on the BBC’s Test Match Special. "The pitch has done plenty. There's been plenty of movement out there. It's not been easy for both sides but I don't like seeing a pitch do so much."

Matt Page, the Melbourne Cricket Club groundsman, left a centimetre of grass on the surface, and he backed his decision by saying it was such a well-grassed pitch that saw a five-day finish against India in 2024.

Cricket Australia (CA) lost $4 million after the two-day finish in the first Ashes Test in Perth, and there will be significant losses after this game as well. “Simple phrase I’d use is short Tests are bad for business,” Todd Greenberg, CA’s CEO said on SEN radio before the start of the second day’s play. “I can’t be much more blunt than that.”

Historically, CA has not interfered in pitch preparation, with curators given a free hand. But more two-day debacles could force their hand. “It’s hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, especially commercially,” said Greenberg, who will now be desperate for the final Test in Sydney to go the distance.