MCG Pitch Is Easy Scapegoat but Sloppy Cricket Is to Blame for Early Ashes Finishes
A recent article from The Guardian challenges the common blame placed on the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch for early finishes in the Ashes series, arguing instead that sloppy batting by Australia and England is primarily to blame.
Melbourne curator Matt Page, who faced a post-match press conference, has been defended in the article with the claim that some players owe him an apology. Although the pitch delivered more seam movement than anticipated, this factor alone does not account for the series' pattern or the two-day match conclusions.
In the current series, two Tests ended inside two days out of four played, and the Perth Test a month earlier finished even quicker, within five balls fewer, featuring notably bounce-only conditions. Two Tests from this series rank ninth and tenth for the shortest Ashes matches by deliveries bowled.
The article highlights specific instances of poor batting, including Weatherald being bowled by swing, Khawaja pulling the ball without looking, Green running himself out, and Carey flicking to leg slip. These examples underscore the author’s criticism of the modern batting mindset, described as looking for "a ball with your name on it" and succumbing to fatalism.
Ultimately, the piece calls for a return to more disciplined batting to improve the quality of play and avoid premature conclusions to matches.
