Former England captain Michael Vaughan noted that the record crowd of 94,199 at the MCG were “royally entertained” as they witnessed the highest number of wickets to fall on the first day of an Ashes test since 1909; however, he condemned the pitch after both teams faltered dramatically.
England won the toss and chose to field, dismissing Australia for 152, only to be bowled out for 110 themselves. At stumps, Australia were 4-0, holding a 46-run lead as they approached day two.
“We’re always striving for a fair contest between bat and ball. I thought that was rather unfair for the batters,” Vaughan shared with BBC.
“The pitch has offered a lot. There’s been considerable movement. It hasn’t been easy for either side, but I dislike seeing a pitch favor bowlers this much.”
‘UNFAIR CONTEST’
Another former captain and opener, Alastair Cook, expressed similar sentiments, stating it was “not a great test match wicket,” as England was bowled out in just 29.5 overs.
“Unless this flattens out on days two, three, four — if we even get that far — it heavily favors the bowlers,” Cook remarked to TNT Sports.
“I think it was an unfair contest. Could both teams have performed slightly better? Yes, but having observed some of that bowling, I’m unsure how one faces it.”
Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad commented that the pitch was “doing too much” and noted that test bowlers “shouldn’t require this level of movement to be threatening,” while ex-Australian pacer Glenn McGrath stated there was too much grass on it.
“That pitch has too much life for test cricket. It was 10mm of grass when perhaps 7mm would have sufficed, but I think the groundsman was more focused on what would happen on days three, four, and five,” McGrath explained.
However, he also suggested that the conditions could turn in England’s favor when they bat for a second time.
“The weather is warming up, which will influence the conditions further,” he added. “So there might come a time when England bats in the fourth innings under the most favorable conditions of the match.”
