NEW DELHI: Australia coach Andrew McDonald has thrown his support behind Melbourne Cricket Ground curator Matt Page and cautioned against authorities intervening in pitch preparation. Page and his staff have come under heavy criticism after leaving around 10 millimetres of grass on the surface for the fourth Ashes Test against England.The conditions offered significant movement and bounce for the seamers, making batting difficult, with England clinching a four-wicket victory inside two days.
The early finish resulted in a major financial hit for Cricket Australia, which is set to refund tickets for days three, four and five, leading to an estimated revenue loss of Aus$10 million (US$6.7 million).McDonald said Page had done an “outstanding” job over the years and felt the batters also needed to take responsibility for failing to post competitive totals.“The perspective that I always use is we have bad Test matches as well — this Test we weren’t at our best and sometimes these things can happen.“We support him in what he’s done and are really proud of the evolution of the MCG.“He’s found a nice balance for a long period of time.”International Cricket Council match referee Jeff Crowe is yet to submit his assessment of the pitch. An “unsatisfactory” rating would result in the venue receiving a demerit point.Cricket Australia are also expected to conduct an end-of-season review into the management of Test match pitches.Chief executive Todd Greenberg has suggested that a more interventionist approach may be required, pointing out that shorter Tests are “bad for business”.However, McDonald said he was firmly against interference, stressing that curators in Australia traditionally operate independently of captains and Cricket Australia when preparing pitches.“I don’t want to get to a situation … where we are asking for specific surfaces and tailor-made,” McDonald said.“I don’t think Australia will ever go there, and I don’t think they’ve ever been there, to my knowledge.”
