The ridiculous fake news about the history of the MCG pitch - the G is the best ground for results

[big_e]

MCG hosted cricket on boxing day since the early 50's.

The other states are better off trying to make the BBL fixtures on the nights of the Boxing day test a regular fixture. There's far more money to be made through that than there is with the Test.

Other states also hosted Shield games on or around Boxing Day. You're not special, Victoria.

 

[Not Important]

No argument from me on the history but I'm not sure about fake news though. Most people are canning the MCG because the last few Test have been s**t house and it's largely to do with the pitch. There might be a few over parochial people west of Melbourne who genuinely want the MCG to lose Boxing Day but I'd wager the vast majority do want the Boxing Day Test in Melboure, they just want the MCC to get it's house in order.

the 'g' will never lose the boxing day test. even if they played it on matting.

 

[dogs105]

the 'g' will never lose the boxing day test. even if they played it on matting.

Unless they get a rating worse than "average" this year

 

[big_e]

Unless they get a rating worse than "average" this year

The ICC doesn't have the balls to do it.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

the 'g' will never lose the boxing day test. even if they played it on matting.

They will if they produce dead pitches and get poor ratings

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Yes I love Christmas when you'll probably get a s**t sandwich as a gift but there's a chance it won't be - that's fun!

An abandoned test would be exciting!

 

[hamohawk1]

Day 1 of the test last year was unwatchable after 2pm, absolutely lifeless. Seriously surely there is an experienced greenskeeper that can get paid $$ to put life into drop in wickets.

 

[to1994]

I'm from Victoria and I can comfortably say Test Cricket at the MCG has been some of the most boring around the world for years.

I can't be bothered going back too far, but in the last 5 years there's been at least one declared innings in every Test. That throws out the talk about a "result" making it a good pitch, Cricket Australia used to throw that line around as well when its pretty meaningless without context.

Based on numbers and convenience, it's never going to lose the Test but it would be nice if some pressure could be put on to ensure something actually gets done. They talk about changes every year and its always the same nonsense.

 

[Linda Lovelace]

Well there are a few issues here. Firstly, the MCG pitch has been s**t for a few years now. So it's not really fake news. Secondly, you've picked a date for your stats that is designed to give the most favourable result for your position. I dare say that picking other timespans could result in getting different results.

The MCG pitch has been 'much maligned' and it has served up 'years of lifeless tracks'. It's been somewhat troubled with that drop in pitch they currently use and needs to be replaced (but won't be for a while yet). It's a genuine problem. Clearly moving the Boxing Day Test isn't a solution, but the MCG needs to get its s**t together ASAP. If the pitch gets a bad rating this year then there may not be any choice in the matter anyway.

The date choice was perfectly justified. The MCG had trouble in the 80s, as Greg Chappel complained about. The thread was in response in particular to an Age article (but others as well) that did a timeline beginning with these troubles and tried to draw a line through them to recent drama, despite a noticeable gap of a couple of decades. I was showing that since this drama, it's been fine. The late 80s is also when the game started becoming more professional. I'm not sure what relevance the 1920s has for pitch preparation and if you focus just on the last 5 years, it's far too small a sample size.

You are also just guessing that extending the timeline would show a noticeably different pattern. I did notice that Adelaide in particular had a sh*t ton of draws before my cut off date, so its stats would have looked way worse with a longer timeline.

 

[Linda Lovelace]

Since 1988? You mean just after Melbourne had 4 drawn Tests out of 5?
Why not from 1991 when Adelaide have been 25 results and 4 draws?
What I love most about stats is how rubbery they are and you can produce anything to prove / disprove a theory.

Mate, between 1981-1991 Adelaide had draws in 8 out of 11 tests, including 6 in a row right when you are whining that I'm somehow cherry picking the starting point. And my timeline excluded 5 of them.

 

[Not Important]

They will if they produce dead pitches and get poor ratings

never gunna happen.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

never gunna happen.

It will under the new regulations and good riddance and that goes for every ground

 

[Not Important]

It will under the new regulations and good riddance and that goes for every ground

when there's a ground that is centrally located and can hold 100,000 + - maybe. the pitches have been poor, no question, but not bad enough for a move. the upcoming one will be fine anyway.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

when there's a ground that is centrally located and can hold 100,000 + - maybe. the pitches have been poor, no question, but not bad enough for a move. the upcoming one will be fine anyway.

Well they finally shipped the old curator off that always helps! He was ordinary (and I’m being kind).

 

[Racheles Pocket]

Mate, between 1981-1991 Adelaide had draws in 8 out of 11 tests, including 6 in a row right when you are whining that I'm somehow cherry picking the starting point. And my timeline excluded 5 of them.

And the MCG is getting advice from the curator that produced those results, because that's what the MCG needs.

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MCG pitch: Legendary curator called on to save Boxing Day Test

The country’s most revered pitch doctor has answered Cricket Australia’s SOS call and will fly into Melbourne next week to help under-pressure MCG curator Matthew Page break the run of Boxing Day ducks.
The famous ground has become the laughing stock of the Australian summer and Les Burdett – who retired in 2010 after 40 years spent nurturing beautiful Adelaide Oval decks – will be parachuted in at the 11th hour as a consultant.
Boxing Day is in urgent need of rescuing after two consecutive dull Test matches played on lifeless pitches resulted in a dramatic overcorrection on Saturday as a Sheffield Shield match was abandoned because of fears for player safety.

 

[Blue1980]

MCG hosted cricket on boxing day since the early 50's.

The other states are better off trying to make the BBL fixtures on the nights of the Boxing day test a regular fixture. There's far more money to be made through that than there is with the Test.

Not a single Boxing Day test until 68 I think, but yes there would of been the Vic v nsw shield game before then.

But yes I agree with your point, and probably why Boxing Day will remain a day test for the foreseeable future as well as long as the BBL is running at the same time.

 

[Isthisnametaken]

The MCG is not the best ground for results. Over the last 5 years there have been 22 First class games played for 11 results and 11 draws*. The stats get worse if you go over the last 3 years where it's 13 FC games for 3 results and 10 draws*.

*well one unsafe to play but let's not talk about that.

 

[eddiesmith]

People have a good point when saying results don’t mean a pitch wasn’t lifeless. The GABBA had less life than the local synthetic pitch whilst the Adelaide Oval was back to its status as the biggest road in world cricket, yet s**t opposition ensured a result in both tests.

 

[Pistol Night]

The Ashes test there a couple of years ago would of put Ben Cousins and Chris Yarran to sleep.

 

[TimothyJ23]

Part of the issue with the current so-called 'drama' about the pitch that very few people bother to actually highlight is that the pitch used for the Shield game that was abandoned isn't the same one that will be used for the BD Test.

How anyone who follows cricket couldn't pick that up and realise that there's not likely to be a huge issue, is beyond me.

But I guess as others have mentioned earlier, it's easier to write clickbait sensationalist rubbish and hey, it got Perth some publicity (which they've gone and flunked by having an empty stadium over the weekend)

 

[Pistol Night]

I say juice it right up for Boxing Day and unleash hell with Starc, Cummins and Pattinson on the ewe turners. Wont have to worry about Wade, he'll just go out without a bat this time anyway.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Part of the issue with the current so-called 'drama' about the pitch that very few people bother to actually highlight is that the pitch used for the Shield game that was abandoned isn't the same one that will be used for the BD Test.

How anyone who follows cricket couldn't pick that up and realise that there's not likely to be a huge issue, is beyond me.

But I guess as others have mentioned earlier, it's easier to write clickbait sensationalist rubbish and hey, it got Perth some publicity (which they've gone and flunked by having an empty stadium over the weekend)

That point has been raised multiple times from what I’ve seen/heard. Don’t think anybody doesn’t realise the Test will have a different pitch.

I went on the Saturday and thought the crowd here was pretty good given the heatwave and the bushfires. Was a good day out.

 

[Pykie]

Somewhere between dangerous and juiced up is what it needs.

The curator obviously missed the mark with the Shield game with divots hardening up after the morning.

However he's on the right track if thats how much moisture he's leaving in it.

 

[Kapow!!!]

That point has been raised multiple times from what I’ve seen/heard. Don’t think anybody doesn’t realise the Test will have a different pitch.

I went on the Saturday and thought the crowd here was pretty good given the heatwave and the bushfires. Was a good day out.

A good objective measure then.

I like how the same people aren't giving Gabba crowds a pass due to the heat (and also Bushfires)

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Somewhere between dangerous and juiced up is what it needs.

The curator obviously missed the mark with the Shield game with divots hardening up after the morning.

However he's on the right track if thats how much moisture he's leaving in it.

100% agreed but why am I expecting a directive from CA to ensure a 5 day test though...