4th Ashes Test: Australia v England @ MCG Dec 26-30, 2025

[Marshall_magic]

There is an article I posted earlier in the thread where Toddy has suggested CA get a say in pitch preparation. I’ll find it and link it here for you.

Fair enough, will Toddy use this for more control? CA employed curators perhaps?

 

[Front-rower2]

I would say about 60% to 70% were due to the pitch.

Who?

In the Australian first innings there were at least 5 batsmen who got out due to crap:

Head cutting too close to his body
Weatherald and Carey strangled down the leg side
Marnus wafting at one outside off stump, no foot movement
Smith taking a wild swing and getting cleaned up through the gate
Green run out
Usman got squared up, no foot movement

 

[Front-rower2]

Fair enough, will Toddy use this for more control? CA employed curators perhaps?

Toddy only cares about the money. He should be on the phone to McDonald and asking him to drag his butt into HQ first thing Monday morning

 

[_snafu_]

Fair enough, will Toddy use this for more control? CA employed curators perhaps?

Except when we are playing India, where the BCCI will have a say.

 

[Eelectrica]

who would you have picked to do that ?

Yeah, that is the question. A lot of holes to fill and no one has really put up their hand demanding selection.
Labs offered false hope with some shield form.

To answer the question, I'd be giving Renshaw another crack. He is someone who can bat long. As for how well he would have done, who knows?

McSweeney is another one who I'd give another shot. Can also bat long. Although, I think he's injured at the moment, so yeah.

Cupboard does look pretty bare though. As some of our long term players like Khawaja retire or get retired, I can see some revolving doors in the batting line up until someone steps up.

 

[RL The greatest game]

If they want tests to last longer than 2-3 days, pick batsmen who can last more than 5-10 minutes.
Yeah the pitch wasn't super awesome and was doing some funny things, but some of the shot selection wasn't great either. I don't know what Khwaja was thinking with his shot for example.

Smithy should have had a 200+ target in mind and aimed to get that and farmed the strike a bit more.
When Neser was leaking runs early, he needed to be swapped with Boland who was economic or Richardson. Just gave away free runs we couldn't afford to give away.

These drop in wickets don't do test cricket any favours and should be binned.

 

[Twizzle]

Yeah, that is the question. A lot of holes to fill and no one has really put up their hand demanding selection.
Labs offered false hope with some shield form.

To answer the question, I'd be giving Renshaw another crack. He is someone who can bat long. As for how well he would have done, who knows?

McSweeney is another one who I'd give another shot. Can also bat long. Although, I think he's injured at the moment, so yeah.

Cupboard does look pretty bare though. As some of our long term players like Khawaja retire or get retired, I can see some revolving doors in the batting line up until someone steps up.

Renshaw has earned another shot, no arguments there. But you also have to remember that some of these cricketers that we all criticise are the number 1 test nation by a long way; not just the reigning champs, but currently sitting on top with daylight between them and second.

No one has the perfect batting lineup; we, as well as other countries, have some passengers. I dont think they will change anything for the 5th test, but after the T20 WC we got the Kiwis in June and Pakistan in August, and I reckon that is where we start to ring the changes.

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[Canard]

36 wickets falling in under 2 days is not just because of "technique".

 

[Chins]

36 wickets falling in under 2 days is not just because of "technique".

Which balls were unplayable? I can only think of the one Head got

 

[Fangs]

Arguments both ways.

Those yearning for a return to 90s style stoic batting are dreaming.

The modern player. Switching between three formats and not even doing tour warm up games aren't going to bat well on pitches like that anymore.

Its particularly notable the outcry from former player. And that the best bats in Root and Smith looked like they were batting on a minefield.

 

[Canard]

How many of both teams even play T20 anyway?

 

[Bazal]

Which balls were unplayable? I can only think of the one Head got

Even then...it was a good ball but he got stuck on his feet not expecting it to come back the way it did.

Arguments both ways.

Those yearning for a return to 90s style stoic batting are dreaming.

The modern player. Switching between three formats and not even doing tour warm up games aren't going to bat well on pitches like that anymore.

Its particularly notable the outcry from former player. And that the best bats in Root and Smith looked like they were batting on a minefield.

Smith seemed to think it was a good enough deck to give Jhyyhyhyhyhyhyyhyhye 90% of the strike.

No one necessarily wants 90s style Mark Taylor batting. But it's also fair to say that there should have been a little bit of patience and acceptance that batting a day for 200 is ok sometimes

 

[TheParraboy]

Arguments both ways.

Yup combo of this

Though doubt we see 10-11mm grass top decks prepared again

 

[simmo1]

How many of both teams even play T20 anyway?

Barely any, and the two top scorers from each team were probably the best T20 batters too

 

[simmo1]

Which balls were unplayable? I can only think of the one Head got

Dozens if you include non-wicket taking balls.

 

[Eelectrica]

Renshaw has earned another shot, no arguments there. But you also have to remember that some of these cricketers that we all criticise are the number 1 test nation by a long way; not just the reigning champs, but currently sitting on top with daylight between them and second.

No one has the perfect batting lineup; we, as well as other countries, have some passengers. I dont think they will change anything for the 5th test, but after the T20 WC we got the Kiwis in June and Pakistan in August, and I reckon that is where we start to ring the changes.

All Series | cricket.com.au

Official Cricket fixtures, schedules and results for upcoming and past Cricket Series including International & Australia Domestic, T20, ODI and Test Series.

www.cricket.com.au

It seems the current admin wants the T20 dollars and the test revenue as well. If they want test revenue that means producing batsmen that can last out in the middle which we're simply not producing anymore.

Perhaps that's something the current admin should consider looking at. But it's easier to blame and bad pitches. I do agree though that the 11cm of grass was way too much.

 

[Chins]

My point is the batting was far worse than the pitch was.

 

[Fangs]

How many of both teams even play T20 anyway?

Its a brain rot thing IMO.

 

[Fangs]

Even then...it was a good ball but he got stuck on his feet not expecting it to come back the way it did.



Smith seemed to think it was a good enough deck to give Jhyyhyhyhyhyhyyhyhye 90% of the strike.

No one necessarily wants 90s style Mark Taylor batting. But it's also fair to say that there should have been a little bit of patience and acceptance that batting a day for 200 is ok sometimes

Yes I agree. Bit of both.

And on that deck yes we needed Mark Taylor.

 

[85 Baby]

“I’m pretty sure if that was somewhere else in the world there’d be hell on,” he said.

“It is not the best thing for games that should be played over five days but we played a type of cricket that ended up getting the job done.”

- Stokes on MCG pitch

What a moron. So far he’s only lost 3 tests on coin tosses and won 1 because of curator. Biggest muppet in sports in living memory.