The fourth Test of the Ashes is racing to what looks like a two-day finish and while it left fans at the ground thrilled, it hasn’t impressed those with an interest in seeing a full fledged match. Cricket Australia has now said that the latter is also the case for the powers that be, with chief executive Todd Greenberg saying he had a sleepless night after Day 1, in which 20 wickets fell, thinking of the losses that they will incur.
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“As mesmerising and fascinating and enjoyable as it was to watch as a fan, we want Test cricket clearly to go for longer,” Greenberg is quoted as saying by SEN Radio.
“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. I thought yesterday slightly favoured the ball. The batters have some ownership in some of that, it’s not all around the pitch, but we’ve got some challenges.”
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Australia were all out for 152 in 45.2 overs on Day 1 but England ended up falling for 110 in 29.5 overs to actually let the hosts bat out an over of their second innings. Australia ended up batting for just 34.3 overs on Day 2, being all out for 132 and thus setting England a target of 175 to chase and win their first Test of this series. England look set to do it on Day 2 itself, thus making this the second Test in this year’s Ashes that will last just two days.
Getting involved in pitch preparation
Greenberg has said that Cricket Australia may consider getting involved in the pitch preparation process to avoid situations like these. Commentators and former players have been almost unanimously criticial of the pitch at the MCG for the fourth Test, on which Australia captain Steve Smith said there was about 10mm of grass before the start of the match.
“Historically we have taken a hands-off approach in all of our wicket preparation and allowed the staff and the conditions and those characteristics to be presented. But it’s hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, particularly commercially.
“I’m not suggesting we’re going to go around talking to groundstaff, but we do have to have a careful eye on what our expectations are over the course of a summer,” said Greenberg.
