Australian cricket has been embarrassed by the ICC rating the MCG drop-in pitch for the Boxing Day Ashes Test as "poor" following a dull draw in which only 24 wickets were taken over five days.

 

It is the first time an Australian international pitch has been rated poor and it has come soon after the drop-in surface for the women's Ashes Test at North Sydney Oval in November was labelled "below average" for also failing to provide conditions conducive to playing attractive cricket. Cricket Australia has 14 days in which to provide a response to the ICC.

 

While the Melbourne Cricket Club has already indicated its intention to review the process by which the MCG strip turned out to provide such little assistance for both batsmen and bowlers, the match referee Ranjan Madugalle did not shrink from calling them out for producing a substandard pitch for on which to play arguably the highest profile Test match of the year.

 

The pitch was criticized by players and coaches on both sides virtually before the Test had begun.