Summary
The pitch for the fourth Ashes Test match in Melbourne has led to an unusually high number of wickets falling, raising concerns about its fairness. Experts, including former England captain Michael Vaughan, say the pitch made it too difficult for batters, resulting in an imbalanced game. On the first day, 20 wickets fell, which is a rare occurrence in Test cricket history.
Key Facts
- The fourth Ashes Test match is taking place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
- On the first day, both Australia and England lost a total of 20 wickets.
- Australia was bowled out for 152 runs, and England was dismissed for 110 runs.
- It was the most wickets to fall on the opening day of an Ashes Test since 1909.
- A high number of deliveries (48%) moved significantly on day one, making it tough for batters.
- The PitchViz rating, which measures pitch difficulty, was 8.7 out of 10, a high difficulty score.
- Some cricket experts believe the pitch favored bowlers and made batting too challenging.
- The pitch had 10mm of grass, considered long by usual standards, contributing to its difficulty.
