After the fourth Ashes Test concluded in two days, the pitch at Melbourne Cricket Ground has been facing a lot of backlash. Matt Page, the Melbourne Cricket Ground curator Matt Page, admitted he was left stunned after 20 wickets had fallen on Day 1 itself.
“I was in a state of shock after the first day, to see everything that happened, 20 wickets in a day,” Page said. “I’ve never been involved in a Test match like it, and hopefully will never be involved in a Test match like it again.”
“Every year is different and the margins are very small, but in the back of your mind, you’re always trying to provide that contest,” he said. “We’re about trying to provide captivating Test cricket, that balance between bat and ball going four or five days.”
MCG curator Matt Page with the full explanation on why the Boxing Day Test wicket played the way it did 👀
Watch the #Ashes LIVE in 4K and ad-break free during play, on Kayo!#TheAshes #AUSvENG #Cricket pic.twitter.com/3LQC6vGKpg
— Kayo Sports (@kayosports) December 28, 2025
Page took the responsibility and how things fared in the penultimate match. “We’ve produced a Test that’s been captivating, but it hasn’t gone long enough and we’ll take ownership of that,” he said. “We’ll learn from it, we’ll grow, and we’ll make sure that we’ll get it right next year.”
He further added that if there is no seam movement at MCG, the pitch will become very flat.
“If we don’t have seam movement here at the MCG, we become very dull, very lifeless and very flat, which is no good for the players, no good for the spectators, and no good for the game,” he said.
Australia lost the fourth Test but have already sealed the series after taking an unassailable lead in the series after winning the first three games.
Also Read: Ben Stokes Blasts MCG Pitch After 2-Day Ashes Boxing Day Test, ‘Hell Would’ve Broken Loose’
