'Money Is Their Idea Of Success': England Great Tears Into ECB Amid MCG Pitch Debate
The MCG pitch has come under scrutiny after the Boxing Day Test concluded inside two full days of play.
Legendary batter Geoffrey Boycott weighed in on the Boxing Day Test pitch debate following England's win over Australia, with the match concluding inside two days in Melbourne. The pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has come under scrutiny after 20 wickets fell on the opening day, followed by another 16 dismissals on the next. However, Boycott had a different take on the outcome, claiming that England executed the basics slightly better than Australia.
"England won the Boxing Day Test because they played better cricket than Australia. It was no fluke," Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
The 85-year-old also delved into the real issue behind the collapse: the lack of skill amongst modern-day Test batters when playing on lively tracks.
"One-day matches are played on the flattest batting pitches the groundsmen can provide so the batsmen can dominate by hitting hard at the ball. It is absolutely the opposite of learning to bat against the moving ball on seaming pitches," he added.
Boycott also highlighted how the England batters are not used to playing on moving tracks on a regular basis.
"Our top batsmen play very little County cricket and almost nothing on tours outside Test matches. Nets alone will not help batsmen master the technique of playing the moving ball," Boycott highlighted.
He also slammed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over the inability of modern-day batters to play in challenging conditions.
"Sadly, the ECB suits have them playing more and more 50-over, T20 and Hundred cricket because it brings in lots of money." He added: " And we know how money is their idea of success, not winning the Ashes or being the best team in the world."
"Joe Root is England's best technical batsman, but had two failures trying play in a normal style. It just goes to show how modern batsmen do not really have a clue how to defend on a seaming pitch," Boycott concluded.
England Cricket Team
Australia Cricket Team