MCG CURATOR IN THE EYE OF THE ASHES STORM

The Melbourne Cricket Ground’s head curator, Matt Page, has found himself at the centre of a fierce debate after the MCG’s Boxing Day Ashes Test finished in just two days.

The shocking result sparked questions about pitch preparation, player technique and how Test cricket should be pitched.

Page didn’t duck the criticism; he openly admitted the surface “favoured the bowlers too much” after 36 wickets tumbled in 142 overs, leading to England’s rare win on Australian soil.

Page had left 10 mm of grass on the wicket, more than the 7 mm used the previous year, hoping it would hold up in cooler conditions later in the game.

Instead, the extra grass and resulting seam movement made batting treacherous for both Australia and England, with few batsmen able to settle.

“I’ve never been involved in a Test match like it,” he told reporters, adding he hopes he’s never in one like it again and that lessons will be learnt for next season.

While many critics piled blame on Page, including from sections of the media calling the surface a “disgrace,” not everyone thinks it’s fair to single out the curator.

Some commentators argue the that MCG pitch has traditionally been unpredictable, and this year’s conditions were just the result of fine margins in pitch making.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald publicly backed Page, saying he’s done “an outstanding job over the years” and warning against outside interference in how pitches are prepared.

Image credit: The Hindu