England’s two-day win in the Boxing Day Test is set to deliver a huge financial hit to Australian cricket that could reach a reported £5m.
That is the expected loss in revenue after the match on an excessively bowler-friendly surface at a packed MCG finished with three full days to spare.
A sell-out crowd of over 90,000 was due for day three, including a travelling English contingent of up to 20,000, and the lack of play on Sunday will lead to an avalanche of refunds as well as lost sales in merchandise, food and drinks.
A similar situation played out when Australia won in two days in Perth, where losses ran to an expected £1.5mn.
Ground curator Matthew Page finds himself at the centre of the storm after turning in a surface showing a lavish 10mm of live grass that made batting a perilous endeavour.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg was desperate to avoid such a scenario, telling SEN Radio before play on the second morning: “A simple phrase I’d use is – short Tests are bad for business.
“I can’t be much more blunt than that. Historically we have taken a hands-off approach in all of our wicket preparation… but it’s hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, particularly commercially.”
England captain Ben Stokes may have been delighted to land a much-needed win, and avert the embarrassment of a series whitewash, but left no doubts about his feelings on the quality of the pitch.
Asked what his feedback to the match referee would be, he said: “It won’t be the best. Being brutally honest, that’s not what you want for a Boxing Day Test match. You don’t want a game finishing in less than two days.
“I’m pretty sure if that was somewhere else in the world there’d be hell on.”
Australia captain Steve Smith did not seem too concerned by his side’s rapid win in the first Test but was less content after coming out on the losing side.
“The finances aren’t great and I think it was a sell-out tomorrow,” he said.
“We saw 36 wickets in two days and that indicates it was a pretty tricky wicket. It probably offered a little bit too much.
“A lot of the Tests have been played in fast forward and this one was over in two day, not ideal. It would be good if it was a little bit longer and we were able to entertain the fans some more but it wasn’t to be.”
Former England captain Nasser Hussain said the pitch turned the match into a farce.
He said on Sky Sports: “I don’t think it’s acceptable not having spin at all and having so much movement in the surface.
“It was farcical at times and when things are farcical it is thrilling to watch, but there are traditionalists still in Test match cricket.”
