Top 5 experts who slammed the MCG pitch for Ashes 2025-26 4th Test ft. Sunil Gavaskar

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)'s pitch is under fire after the fourth Ashes 2025-26 Test finished within two days. As many as 36 wickets fell on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test as the bowlers made an absolute feast of the pace-friendly deck.

The hosts were bundled out for 152 and 132 in their first and second innings, respectively. In response, England scored 110 and 178/6, winning the match by four wickets to end their 18-match losing streak in Australia, registering their first win Down Under after nearly 15 years. Having said that, the Ben Stokes-led side has already lost the series. Australia are leading the five-game series 3-1.

All eyes are on pitch ratings for MCG after 4th Ashes Test. Source: Getty

Following the match, several former cricketers slammed the MCG pitch as the game didn't last even two days. Take a look:

Sunil Gavaskar

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar took a sarcastic dig at the MCG pitch and the match referee, questioning whether they would make a fair assessment of the surface. While mentioning the double standards, the veteran pointed out how the previous two-day Ashes Test in Perth was rated 'very good' by match referee Ranjan Madugalle.

The 76-year-old further pointed out why Cricket Australia (CA) is seemingly given preferential treatment, unlike India, where referees are quick to judge it poor, average, or below average, leading to demerit points for the venue.

Gavaskar wrote in his column for SportStar:

"Another Test match in Australia has finished in less than two days of cricket. 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. They were astonished when the first Test match pitch in Perth was given a very good rating by the match referee Ranjan Madugalle. Since there is a new match referee, Jeff Crowe, for the Melbourne and Sydney Test matches, the rating could be different. 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.

He continued:

"The curators, or as we found out about the person in charge at the MCG, the Director of Turf, may make a human error and get it slightly wrong, but they are not as devious as those ‘horrible groundsmen’ in India who do not even prepare a pitch and expect the batters to score runs on them. Tut tut." "The irony is that if it is a pitch where not too many wickets fall but plenty of runs are scored, then the match referee more often than not gives it a poor rating. So, batters scoring loads of runs is a no-no, but bowlers picking heaps of wickets is okay and the pitch has to be rated good or very good. Clearly, it is no longer a batters’ game but the bowlers’," Gavaskar added.

Michael Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan said that the game was entertaining but pointed out that the pitch was not suited for Test cricket, particularly 'unfair' for the batters. The cricketer-turned-commentator requested balance in both departments of the game, particularly batting and bowling. Speaking to the BBC, he said during the fourth Ashes Test:

"[The crowd] gone home royally entertained. [This] isn't Test cricket on this type of pitch."

He continued:

"We're always looking for a fair balance between bat and ball. I thought that was unfair for the batters." "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," Vaughan added.

Geoffrey Boycott

Former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott held the pitch curator responsible for the two-day fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne. The 85-year-old said that he can't make any excuse regarding the pitch, adding that it had a lot of grass to give the batters any chance of finding their way in the middle. In his column for The Telegraph, Boycott wrote:

"The pitch had too much grass on it and failed the standard expected for a five-day Test. Batting became a lottery and all the seam bowlers had to do was get the ball straight, on a full length and let that pitch do the rest for them. That is not good enough and the curator should be held to account by his bosses." "No excuses are acceptable. Talk of him being worried about the very hot weather later in the Test will not wash, as it was all over before the sun arrived," he added.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin pointed out the double standards by officials regarding pitch assessment after the fourth Ashes Test finished within two days. He pointed out that the ICC gave 'very good' and 'satisfactory' ratings to the first Ashes Test and the opening three-day Test between India and South Africa, respectively.

The legendary spinner, however, didn't criticize the MCG pitch, saying it was a level playing field for both teams. The 39-year-old said on his YouTube channel:

"Let’s take for example how the Test finished at Eden Gardens recently. We ourselves said it. Having played cricket for several years, we criticize ourselves justly for pitches. But the other countrymen are not doing the same. They are talking highly about themselves and lowly about us." "Australia have produced Shane Warne and Nathan Lyon but New Zealand and England haven’t produced any great spinner yet. The beauty of Test cricket is to adapt to foreign conditions. I won’t criticize the MCG pitch either because it’s common for both teams. It was fun to watch. It was like watching a racing thriller film. But I feel double standards must be avoided," he added.

Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra highlighted the hypocrisy of the match officials and foreign media when a similar situation arises in India, as seen in the two-day first Ashes Test. The cricketer-turned-commentator slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC) for rating the two-day Test in Perth as 'very good,' questioning whether they will make a similar assessment of the Melbourne pitch, which also finished within two days.

The 48-year-old said on his YouTube channel:

"I am talking about the hypocrisy. The match ended in two days in Perth. The ICC rates it a very good surface. The entire world says the pitch was good and that the batters' technique has become bad. Then the same thing happened in Melbourne. The match ended in two days. There also they say the pitch was good, there was slightly more help, but the batters' technique has become bad."

While the MCG pitch was claimed to be a bowler-friendly deck, Chopra asked why the two teams didn't bowl a single over of spin on that surface. He continued:

"Not even a single over of spin was bowled on the Melbourne ground, and the match got over. How is that right? If a Test match happens in India or in subcontinental conditions and a single over of fast bowling is not bowled, there is an uproar, but that's not the case here." "When the match ended in Ahmedabad in two days, a BBC report said, 'death of Test cricket.' Here they say it's actually not bad, that two-day Test matches are also great. Hypocrisy much. Something there and something else here," Chopra concluded.

Meanwhile, England and Australia will next face off in the fifth and final Ashes Test, scheduled to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), starting on January 4 next year.

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Edited by James Kuanal