England captain Ben Stokes has criticized the MCG pitch after the fourth Test of the 2025-26 Ashes series ended in just two days. England ended their ruse on Australia’s toil in Melbourne as they chased down a target of 175 to win by four wickets. This result ended England’s 18-Test winless run on Australian soil.
Despite the win, the match attracted attention for its extremely favorable conditions for the bowlers, with a total of 36 wickets falling in just six sessions and no batsman managing to record more than 46 runs on either side. Stokes, after consulting the match referee, described the surface as “not the best”. His comments reflected concerns about whether such conditions were appropriate for five-day Test cricket, even in the context of England’s win. The unusually fast finish in Melbourne follows a similar pattern seen earlier in the series in Perth, where the test also finished in 48 hours.
Stokes explained that comparable conditions elsewhere would have led to significant scrutiny and opposition. He stated that if other parts of the world produced such pitches, it would create hell and heavy criticism for curators and administrators.
“With 36 wickets in less than two days and not over 200 in total, I think you can read a lot into it. If it was another condition somewhere else and that happened, you’d probably get pasted,” Stokes said.
The England captain stopped short of direct comparisons with surfaces in Asia, but responded to the suggestions by saying:
“Those are your words, not mine.
Stokes insisted the pitch in Melbourne was inadequate for the demands of the five-day Test, despite the positive result for his team.
“I’m pretty sure if it was anywhere else in the world it would have been hell. It’s not the best thing for games to be played over five days, but we played the type of cricket we got the job done in the end,” Stokes said.
Stokes’ criticism comes hot on the heels of Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Karthik slammed over a pitch made for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
Historically, this Ashes series became the first since 1896 to feature two Tests between the same teams, each completed in two days. England’s win at the MCG, while not affecting the final destination of the Ashes, prevented the series from fading and provided a rare highlight for the touring side on a tough outing.
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Published on:
December 27, 2025
