60.6 Crore Loss! Australia Dealt Massive Shock After MCG Tests Ends In 2 Days

Cricket Australia (CA) has reportedly lost out on £5m (Around Rs. 60.6 crore) because the fourth Test of the Ashes at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) ended in just two days.

The MCG saw record attendances on both days, with hundreds of thousands of locals and tourists being witness to the fourth shortest Test in Ashes history, lasting only 852 balls. The third day, which never happened, was also sold out at the 100,024-capacity venue.

CA CEO Todd Greenberg was quoted as saying on Saturday that he didn’t sleep well at all on the first day, when 20 wickets fell, only to see the match wrapped up within six sessions.

“As mesmerising and fascinating and enjoyable as it was to watch as a fan, we want Test cricket clearly to go for longer,”

Greenberg said on 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.”

England ended a 15-year wait for a Test win in Australia with a gutsy four-wicket victory. After a remarkable opening day, Australia resumed their second innings at 4-0 but were quickly dismantled on the lively, grass-covered pitch. Travis Head top-scored with 46, but regular strikes from Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, and Josh Tongue ensured the hosts were bowled out for 132 soon after lunch, setting England a target of 175.

England began their chase in an ultra-aggressive fashion. Openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett raced to a rapid fifty partnership, with Duckett making 34 and Crawley 37. Australia clawed back with quick wickets, including those of Joe Root and Ben Stokes, briefly raising hopes of a turnaround. However, with only a handful of runs required, Harry Brook and Jamie Smith held their nerve to finish the job.

Earlier, the first Test of the series also ended in two days, which reportedly incurred the Perth Stadium losses worth £1.5m (Around Rs. 18 crore). There, several local pundits blamed it entirely on England’s poor batting, which couldn’t be said of the MCG, where no batter from either side even got to fifty.

In Australia, pitches have been curated and taken care of by the local groundstaff. Still, Greenberg also hinted that the CA might begin to execute a more hands-on approach in the proceedings to mitigate more two-day Tests.

“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 present. But it’s hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, particularly commercially.”