After Australia’s 4-0 thrashing of England in the recently concluded Ashes series, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which hosted the traditional Boxing Day Test, the fourth Test of the series, has been handed an official warning by the ICC for the ‘poor’ pitch.
Interestingly, the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, was the only one in the series that did not produce a result and ended in a draw.
“In arriving at the sanction, the ICC noted the comprehensive response provided by Cricket Australia, which did not contest the rating given to the pitch by the ICC Match Referee, Ranjan Madugalle, but highlighted that the ground is a frequently used venue that has no history of preparing poor pitches for international cricket, and indicated that there was a commitment by both the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) and Cricket Australia to improve the pitches presented for international cricket at the MCG in the future,” the ICC said in a release.
