MCG pitch receives official warning

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has today announced that the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has been given an official warning, in relation to the ‘poor’ rating given to the pitch for the fourth Test of the Australia v England series played at the venue from 26-30 December, 2017.

In arriving at the sanction, the ICC noted the comprehensive response provided by Cricket Australia, which did not contest the rating given to the pitch by the ICC Match Referee, Ranjan Madugalle, but highlighted that the ground is a frequently used venue that has no history of preparing poor pitches for international cricket, and indicated that there was a commitment by both the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) and Cricket Australia to improve the pitches presented for international cricket at the MCG in the future.

The MCG Test was the last Test to be rated under the old ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring regulations, with a revised process being introduced in men’s and women’s international cricket from 4 January, 2018, which is available on the ICC website here.