Australia’s Travis Head (left) smiles after he was dismissed on the second day of the fourth Ashes Check between Australia and England on the Melbourne Cricket Floor, Melbourne, December 27, 2025. — AFP
Cricket Australia is reportedly dealing with a big monetary loss after the fourth Ashes Check on the Melbourne Cricket Floor (MCG) concluded inside two days, with CA chief saying brief Check video games have been “bad for business”.
England registered their first Check victory in Australia since 2011 as they surprised the house aspect by 4 wickets within the fixture that completed inside two days.
The CA is prone to undergo a lack of round AUD10 million as a sell-out crowd of greater than 90,000, together with a visiting England contingent of round 20,000, was due for the third day of the sport, based on a report by The Guardian.
The anticipated losses add to an estimated AUD3 million in income already misplaced from the Perth sequence opener, which additionally ended inside two days.
Moreover, the two-day end will end in misplaced gross sales in merchandise, meals and drinks.
The Melbourne pitch was ready with 10 millimetres of grass on the wicket, making it closely beneficial for the bowlers with loads of motion and bounce below overcast skies.
Talking on SEN radio on the morning of the second day’s play, CA Chief Todd Greenberg mentioned a pattern in the direction of shorter Check matches was not in CA’s curiosity.
“A simple phrase I’d use is short Tests are bad for business. I can’t be much more blunt than that. So I would like to see a slightly broader balance between the bat and the ball,” he added.
A number of former greats have been crucial of the Melbourne pitch, with former England captain Michael Vaughan on Saturday calling it “a joke”.
“This is selling the game short,” he added, whereas one other ex-England skipper, Alastair Cook dinner, branded it “an unfair contest”.
Curators in Australia are historically impartial in relation to making ready pitches, each from captains and Cricket Australia.
Nevertheless, Greenberg steered a extra interventionist strategy is likely to be wanted.
“It’s hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, especially commercially, he said.
“I am not suggesting I am going to go round speaking to floor employees, however we do should have a cautious eye on what our expectations are over the course of a summer season.”
— With further enter from AFP
