Former England batter Geoffrey Boycott believes that the pitch offered for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the ongoing Ashes 2025/26 was not up to the standard required for a five-day Test match.
In his column for The Telegraph, Boycott wrote that batting on the pitch was no different from taking part in a lottery.
“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.”
England defeated Australia by four wickets in the fourth Test in a low-scoring contest. Both teams completed their first innings on the opening day. Josh Tongue was outstanding for England, taking a five-wicket haul and helping bowl Australia out for 152. In reply, Michael Neser and Scott Boland were lethal as England were bundled out for 110.
In the second innings, Australia could manage only 132, with Brydon Carse picking up four wickets for England. The visitors then finished the chase comfortably, with the match ending inside the second day, triggering widespread criticism of the pitch from experts.
Boycott added, “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.”
The pitch received an “unsatisfactory” rating from Jeff Crowe, who was the ICC match referee for the game.
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