The MCG pitch is back in the spotlight after another day of batting carnage in the venue’s first game of longer-form cricket since the controversial Boxing Day Test.
A total of 17 wickets tumbled on the first day of the top-of-the-table Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Queensland on Thursday, in a development that is unlikely to have raised confidence among cricket administrators over the pitches being produced at the country’s biggest stadium.
A finish on Friday would see the MCG host back-to-back two-day first-class games, a distinct possibility given Victoria are 7-61 at stumps in reply to Queensland’s 149.
Test star Michael Neser took 3-9 from nine overs on day one.Credit: Getty Images
Victoria coach Chris Rogers quipped on Wednesday that MCC head curator Matt Page appeared “stressed” in the lead-up to this game, and the events on the opening day would not have eased his nerves.
Though Page has the rest of the year to produce the pitch for next season’s Boxing Day Test, opportunities to see his tracks in action at first-class level will be scarce with Cricket Victoria contracted to play just two Shield games per season at the MCG.
There is plenty riding on the MCC finding a better balance between bat and ball at the venue. Cricket Australia estimated a loss of about $10 million in revenue from the Test finishing in two days instead of four, while two industry sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, estimated the loss to be about $25 million in the wider cricket ecosystem.
The MCG will also host two men’s Tests next season – the 150th anniversary Test against England in March to go with the customary blockbuster on Boxing Day.
The savage swing towards seam-friendly pitches is in contrast to the 2017-18 summer when the MCG received a ‘poor’ rating after producing a bowler’s graveyard when England’s Alastair Cook made a record 244 not out.
Harry Dixon had no answer for this one, bowled by Queensland’s Hayden Kerr for five.Credit: Getty Images
The grass on this pitch was shaved to seven millimetres, three millimetres shorter than the 10mm for December’s Test, but it could not prevent another day when bat was dominated by the ball.
Poor strokeplay and at-times questionable umpiring played a part in several wickets, but about half of the dismissals could be attributed to either extra bounce or sharp movement off the track. First-class and international-quality batters are skilled enough to deal with one of two, but even the best in the world have trouble flourishing on tracks offering both.
Only one player passed 30, while 210 runs were scored at a cost of 12.35 per wicket, roughly the same as Boxing Day when both teams were dismissed, though the Vics and the Bulls absorbed an extra 16 overs.
There are mitigating factors to the low scores. This is the first round of Shield cricket since the competition went into hiatus in early December for the Big Bash League, and both teams were fielding relatively inexperienced batting line-ups.
Victoria have three batters yet to reach double digits in first-class games, while Queensland have two, one of whom – Hugo Burdon – was the day’s top-scorer with 43 off 104 deliveries.
Victorian captain Peter Handscomb rallied around Page and his team, saying excellent bowling from both sides was responsible for the high number of wickets.
“I think we can maybe jump at shadows and blame it all on the wicket,” Handscomb, unbeaten on 25, said. “Generally, [with] an MCG wicket on day one, you’re happy to get 200, [and] the game will slowly come to you and open up. I’m perfectly fine with the wicket that Pagey is producing.
“I’m impressed with the way Queensland bowled. The balls that got us out all hit the top of off.”
Queensland seamer Michael Neser, who played in the Boxing Day fixture, said batting in this game was not as difficult as in that Test.
“It was tricky, [and] doing a bit here and there, but then there were moments you felt comfortable, and you could score,” Neser said.
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