MCG head curator Matt Page has confessed he was in a “state of shock” watching the carnage unfold during this week’s Boxing Day Test, admitting he was “really disappointed” with the match outcome.
England won the fourth Ashes Test in less than 30 hours, with 36 wickets falling across two days at the iconic Victorian venue, making it the third-shortest Ashes contest on Australian soil in Test history.
Courtesy of the seam movement and extra bounce, no player from either team managed a half-century, which had not occurred in a Test match in Australia since 1932.
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More than 90,000 fans were expected for the sold-out third day in Melbourne, with Cricket Australia expected to lose millions from the shortened contest.
Page fronted the media outside the MCG on Sunday morning to explain the challenges he faced while preparing the pitch, expressing his dismay at the result.
“We’re obviously really disappointed that it’s gone two days,” he told reporters.
“We’d rather be in there (today) watching these two great teams going at it.
“We’ll learn from this, we’ll get better from it, as we have done over the last seven years with every setback we’ve faced.
“We’ll grow from it, and we’ll ensure that we get it right again next year.”
Page, who has held the position for eight years, also confirmed the weather forecast of hot conditions on Sunday and Monday, days three and four, contributed to the decision to leave 10mm of grass on the pitch, up from 7mm last year.
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“I was in a state of shock after the first day, to see everything that happened, 20 wickets in a day,” he continued.
“I’ve never been involved in a Test match like it, and hopefully never involved in a Test match like it again.
“It was a roller coaster ride for two days to see everything unfold.”
Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive Stuart Fox also spoke at the press conference, sharing his sympathies with fans and CA.
“I didn’t think we’d be standing out here doing a press conference this morning. I thought we’d be getting ready for day three,” he said.
“We didn’t plan for it. We didn’t want this to happen, it’s obviously challenging times for us.
“This pitch has clearly favoured the bowlers and hasn’t given the batters a good opportunity to get set, so we’re obviously disappointed.”
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He added: “Our responsibility is to provide a pitch with good balance between bat and ball. We just weren’t able to do that.”
Fox also declared that he stood by Page “100 per cent” despite this week’s pitch debacle.
“We brought Matt on eight years ago because he’s considered one of the best in the country, if not the best, and I still believe that, and I always will,” he continued.
“He’s done a great job. He and his team worked tirelessly to get this right. You can see he’s disappointed today. He carries that responsibility, and my job as a leader is to support people.”
The fifth and final Ashes Test between Australia and England gets underway at the SCG on December 4.
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