Cook, Vaughan and Broad blame MCG pitch after bowlers dominate Day 1 of 4th Ashes Test: 'It was an unfair contest'

Former England cricketers Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan and Stuart Broad were critical of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch after bowlers dominated the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test on Friday, December 26.

A total of 20 wickets fell on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test as both teams struggled to bat on a surface that offered excessive movement. Australia were bowled out for 152 in their first innings, while England were dismissed for just 110. Australia then reached 4/0 in their second innings to close the day with a 46-run lead.

Former England greats slam MCG pitch

Speaking on TNT Sports, former England captain Alastair Cook felt the pitch was not suitable for a Test match. He said the wicket was too much in favour of the bowlers and made batting extremely difficult. Cook added that while both teams could have batted better, the amount of movement on offer made it unfair for the batters.

“I think we have to talk a little bit about this wicket. It’s not a great Test match wicket. Unless this flattens out on days two, three, four, if we get there, that was too heavily weighted in the bowlers’ favour. I think it was an unfair contest. Could both sides have batted slightly better? Yes, but I was watching some of that bowling and I don’t know how you face that,” Cook said.

More from First Cricket

2025 Review: First-time and long-awaited winners bring joy to fans worldwide Vaibhav Suryavanshi receives PM Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, to miss rest of Vijay Hazare Trophy

Michael Vaughan was even more direct in his assessment. Speaking on BBC Test Match Special, the former England skipper described the pitch as a “shocker” for a first day of Test cricket. Vaughan felt the surface was doing far too much and pointed out that the ball appeared to move even more when Australia were bowling.

“The pitch is a shocker. For a Test match first day, it’s just done far too much. It’s actually done it quicker when Australia bowled, it just seems to be nipping quicker. That ball is nipping back from Boland to the right-handers, you question technique and of course you can play it better but they’re so difficult to face when they’re nipping back like that,” Vaughan said.

Quick Reads

View All

'Won't require surgery...': Real reason behind Jasprit Bumrah's absence from 5th Test revealed in new report

PCB bans players from WCL over India-Pakistan match controversy

Stuart Broad also joined the criticism, saying the pitch was “doing too much”. Speaking on SEN Radio, the former fast bowler said Test match bowlers do not need this level of assistance to look threatening. “Test match bowlers don’t need this amount of movement to look threatening,” Broad said.

On the field, Josh Tongue was the standout for England with five wickets as Australia collapsed from promising positions. Michael Neser top-scored for Australia with 35, while Usman Khawaja added 29. For England, Harry Brook’s aggressive 41 was the only innings of substance, with Gus Atkinson chipping in with 28.