Ashes: After 20 wickets on Day 1, Stuart Broad blasts MCG pitch – ‘There is something really wrong’ | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad was left unhappy with the pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after the first day of the Boxing Day Test. Watching the match, Broad felt the surface was doing far too much for the bowlers and said it was not what a proper Test pitch should offer. Day 1 turned into a bowler’s game, with wickets falling almost every session. England’s Josh Tongue produced a stunning spell, having picked up five wickets for just 45 runs as Australia were bowled out for 152 in their first innings.
However, England could not take full advantage, as Australia hit back strongly and dismissed the visitors for only 110 runs. By the end of the day, a remarkable 20 wickets had fallen, making it one of the most dramatic opening days in recent memory. In fact, it was the first time in 74 years that 20 wickets fell on the opening day of a Test match in Australia. While fans enjoyed the non-stop action, Broad was not convinced the pitch was fair for Test cricket. “The amount of movement that this pitch has shown has indicated to me that there is something really wrong. Test match bowlers do not require this level of movement to bowl effectively in a Test match. Good Test match pitches will have good bounce but not excessive sideways movements,” Broad said on Sen Cricket. Despite the debate around the pitch, it was a dream day for Josh Tongue. The England pacer made history by becoming the first England bowler this century to take a five-wicket haul in a men’s Test match at the MCG. The last time an England bowler achieved the feat at the venue was back in 1998, when Darren Gough and Dean Headley did so. Tongue’s performance was also his best in Test cricket so far. It bettered his previous best figures of 5-66, which he recorded against Ireland at Lord’s in 2023. Not surprisingly, the fast bowler was delighted with his achievement on such a big stage. The day was made even more special by the crowd at the MCG. A total of 94,199 fans packed the stadium on Friday. This broke the previous record of 93,013, set during the 2015 Cricket World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand.
