Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg says he “didn’t sleep well” after 20 wickets fell on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test at the MCG.
Sixteen more fell on day two as England claimed a four-wicket win.
It was the most wickets to fall on the first day of an Ashes Test since 1909, and came on the back of 19 wickets being taken on day one of the series opener in Perth.
HIGHLIGHTS: Australia vs England (4th Test, Day 1)
The Perth Test ended in two days, costing Cricket Australia millions of dollars in lost revenue, with Melbourne also shaping as a major dent to the governing body’s finances.
“I didn’t sleep well last night, put it that way,” Greenberg said on SEN radio after more than 94,000 packed into the MCG for Friday’s first day.
“It was an amazing day of Test cricket, so for that record number of people who were here, boy, they’ve had an experience.
“But our challenge is to make sure we can continue those experiences day after day. That’s the challenge for all of us.”
The Melbourne pitch was prepared with 10 millimetres of grass on the wicket, making it heavily favourable for the bowlers with plenty of movement and bounce under overcast skies.
Greenberg said a trend towards shorter Test matches was not in Cricket Australia’s interest.
“A simple phrase I’d use is short Tests are bad for business. I can’t be much more blunt than that,” he said. “So I would like to see a slightly broader balance between the bat and the ball.”
A host of former greats have been critical of the Melbourne pitch with former England captain Michael Vaughan on Saturday calling it “a joke”.
“This is selling the game short,” he added, while another ex-England skipper Alastair Cook branded it “an unfair contest”.
Curators in Australia are traditionally independent when it comes to preparing pitches, both from captains and Cricket Australia.
Greenberg suggested a more interventionist approach might be needed.
“It’s hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, especially commercially, he said. “I’m not suggesting I’ll go around talking to ground staff, but we do have to have a careful eye on what our expectations are over the course of a summer.”
– AFP
Photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
