The Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ended inside just two days as bowlers dominated from the outset. A stunning 20 wickets fell on the opening day alone, raising questions on the preparedness of the pitch. Across the match, the first three innings were wrapped up in fewer than 110 overs, with play finishing early.
England eventually secured a four-wicket victory, but the result was almost overshadowed by debate over the pitch itself, which offered extreme assistance to bowlers and left batters with little chance to settle. England captain Ben Stokes was blunt in his assessment, saying that there would be “hell on” if such a surface were presented in other parts of the world.
"But I'm pretty sure if that was somewhere else in the world, there'd be hell on. 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 said at the press conference.
Smith felt it was a trick wicket, remarking that groundsmen are always learning.
"Obviously, it was a tricky one. Thirty-six wickets over two days – it probably offered just a little bit too much. It's tough as a groundsman. I think he's always looking for the right sort of balance, I suppose. Last year's wicket was an outstanding one; it went to day five last session," Smith said at the press conference.
"In an ideal world, every wicket does that, and it's exciting for everyone. But yeah, maybe if you took it from 10 to eight, it would have been a nice, challenging wicket, maybe a little bit more even, I suppose. But groundsmen are always learning and yeah, he'll probably take something from that, no doubt," Smith said.