MCG curator in 'state of shock' as Head offers support after costly two-day finish

Ashes Tournament 2025 - 26

Matt Page has been given backing by his boss as the fallout continues for a quickfire Boxing Day Test

MCG curator Matt Page said he was in "a state of shock" after watching 20 wickets fall on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test as Travis Head expressed his sympathy with the groundstaff that prepared a seam-friendly pitch which contributed to the two-day finish that is expected to cost Cricket Australia (CA) up to AU$10 million.

Page's decision to leave 10mm of grass on the surface - informed by a hot forecast for the final three days of the match - had come under significant scrutiny after 36 wickets fell in 142 overs, as England sealed their first win in Australia since January 2011 late on the second day.

Ben Stokes, England's captain, said a similar pitch elsewhere in the world would unleash "hell", and Steven Smith queried the decision to leave so much grass on, saying: "It probably offered just a little bit too much… Maybe if you took it from 10 to 8mm, it would have been a nice challenging wicket - maybe a little bit more even."

Page said that he was "really disappointed" with the outcome, and pledged to ensure that the MCG does not produce another two-day finish. "I was in a state of shock after the first day, to see everything that happened, 20 wickets in a day," he said. "I've never been involved in a Test match like it, and hopefully never involved in a Test match like it again.

"Every year is different and the margins are very small, but in the back of your mind, you're always trying to provide that contest. We're about trying to provide captivating Test cricket, that balance between bat and ball going four or five days.

"We've produced a Test that's been captivating, but it hasn't gone long enough and we'll take ownership of that. We'll learn from it, we'll grow, and we'll make sure that we'll get it right next year."

Head, whose second-innings 46 was the highest score of the match, sympathised with Page and said that groundstaff had it "bloody tough". He also drew comparisons with the pitches prepared for last year's MCG Test - in which India lost seven wickets in the final session to lose - and the third Ashes Test in Adelaide which saw both batting line-ups underperform.

"Adelaide last week was probably one of the better batting wickets I've seen and I think we batted poorly on day one; England probably batted poorly [too]," he said. "When we went to bed on day one, everyone was talking 500-600, and if one team bats really, really well then goes big, we'd potentially see a draw in a batting-friendly game and go, 'Oh, has it gone the other way?'

"You're 1-2mm [of grass] away from it going the other way and seeing a more bowler-friendly week… You've got to take the good with the bat. Everyone's trying to evolve and get better.

"You look at the Test match last year, and India batted poorly on the last day… It probably looks like it's going to a draw, and then there's question marks around: are we going too far the other way?

"I feel for him [Page]. It's bloody tough. You leave 1-2mm on with high-quality bowling and you find yourself short, and you take 2-3mm off with high-quality batting and you leave yourself the other way."

Stuart Fox, the chief executive of Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), hinted that reckless batting was a contributing factor in the early finish, and said that he would stand by Page. "We brought Matt on eight years ago because he's considered one of the best in the country - if not the best - and I still believe that and I always will," Fox said.