The Ashes 2025-26: Melbourne's Pitch Rated 'Unsatisfactory' After Two-Day Boxing Day Test
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the pitch from the two-day Ashes Test in Melbourne as 'unsatisfactory', a decision that carries significant implications for the venue's future hosting of international cricket.
This rating means the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) receives one demerit point. According to the rules, if a venue accumulates six demerit points over a five-year period, it will be suspended from hosting international cricket for 12 months.
This is the first time a pitch in Australia has been deemed substandard since the ICC overhauled its system two years ago. The match saw a record-breaking number of wickets fall in just six sessions, with excessive seam movement favoring pace bowlers.
"The MCG pitch was too much in favor of the bowlers," said match referee Jeff Crowe. "With 20 wickets on the first day and 16 on the second, and no batter reaching a half-century, the pitch was 'unsatisfactory' according to the guidelines, and the venue gets one demerit point."
The MCG's head curator, Matt Page, attempted to counter the hot conditions by leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, but this has been cited as a reason for the lively conditions. Page expressed his shock during the match, which England won by four wickets, with Travis Head's 46 in Australia's second innings being the highest score.
The Boxing Day Test was the second two-day match of this Ashes series, but the surface for the first Test in Perth was rated 'very good', suggesting batter error was more to blame there. The ICC's 'unsatisfactory' rating is the second lowest ranking for a pitch, indicating a significant issue.
Despite this being the first time an Australian strip has been rated substandard under the current system, the MCG pitch has had its fair share of trouble. In a drawn match in 2017, the surface offered insufficient assistance for the bowlers, resulting in a dull contest with only 24 wickets falling. That match was rated 'poor'.
A year later, the pitch used for India's win was rated 'average'. Before the ICC's announcement, Australia coach Andrew McDonald defended Page, suggesting that this year's pitch should be viewed in the context of trying to improve from 2017.
"He does an outstanding job," said McDonald. "The perspective I always use is that we [Australia] have had bad Test matches as well. We had a bad Test match in the first Test last summer. Sometimes these things can happen, but we support him and are proud of the evolution of the MCG. Hopefully, people can understand the context and support him for the next challenge."
