The Boxing Day Test match between England and Australia ended in 2 days and caused outrage among cricket fans worldwide. Former India batsman Akash Chopra has weighed in on the controversy, saying the media coverage surrounding the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) smacked of hypocrisy by the English and Australian media.
Chopra said on his YouTube channel that if something like this happened in India, the English media would waste no time calling it “the death of Test cricket”, criticizing India’s pitch rotation. Chopra called out the media narrative surrounding the MCG pitch, saying the overseas media was portraying it as if it was okay for Test matches to end in the first two days.
“When the match ended in two days in Ahmedabad, the BBC report said ‘the death of Test cricket’. Here they say it’s actually not bad, that two-day Test matches are also great. A lot of hypocrisy. Something there and something else here,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube show.
A total of 142 overs were played in the Boxing Day Test match at the MCG. With the ball bending profusely, it was incredibly difficult for the batsmen to time the wicket. The result was a low-scoring thriller with England winning the game by 4 wickets.
Broadening his concerns, Chopra pointed to the disparity in how the media and commentators handled the two-day results in recent high-profile Tests. “I’m talking about hypocrisy. The match ended in two days in Perth. The ICC rates it as a very good surface. The whole world says the pitch was good and the batsmen’s technique got worse. Then the same thing happened in Melbourne. The match ended in two days. There they also say the pitch was good, there was a little more help, but the batsmen’s technique got worse,” Chopra said.
Chopra also referred to England captain Ben Stokes’ post-match response when he noted the difference in tone when discussing overseas versus subcontinental pitches. “Ben Stokes spoke very diplomatically because these guys when they talk about each other are very diplomatic. He said it favors one skill more. If it was a rank turner in India they would say it’s like the death of Test cricket and what kind of pitch is it? It also helps the spin-bowling a bit more there,” he added.
Chopra further highlighted the fact that none of the teams had a single specialist named in the playing elevens. The former batsman said the situation had turned around in India, where both teams had attacked and attacked, with the overseas media erupting in criticism.
“Not a single over was bowled at the Melbourne ground and the match was over. How is that right? If a Test match is played in India or in sub-continental conditions and not a single fast bowler is bowled, there will be an uproar, but that’s not the case here,” he said. The Melbourne Test ended without a single over, yet failed to generate the same level of international controversy as similar fast bowler-dominated games in Asia.
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) officially rated the MCG surface as ‘unsatisfactory’, with match referee Jeff Crowe stating: “The MCG pitch was too much in favor of the bowlers. 20 wickets fell on the first day, 16 on the second day and no batsman even reached a half-century, the pitch was negligible ‘Uns”Uns.” This rating ranks the venue third from the end in pitch quality among recent tests.
A total of 36 wickets fell in just 142 overs, with the match ending before a single player could reach a half-century. Fans holding tickets for the later days were disappointed. Cricket Australia boss James Allsopp commented: “We were disappointed with the three- and four-day ticket fans, as well as the millions of fans excited to watch the action in Australia and around the world, that the pitch did not provide the usual balance between bat and ball at the MCG,” he said. MCG curator Matt Page admitted he was in a “state of shock” after the extraordinary collapse of both teams’ batting line-ups.
Despite the setback, Cricket Australia issued a statement of support for the ground staff: “We appreciate the excellent work the MCC staff have done in recent years in producing outstanding Test matches. We are confident they will deliver first-class surfaces for next year’s NRMA Insurance Boxing Day Test against New Zealand and the highly anticipated 150th Anniversary Test against England in March 2027.” Under ICC rules, a venue risks a ban if it accumulates six demerit points in five years.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
December 29, 2025
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