Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has urged officials to examine the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch after 20 wickets fell on the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test 2025-26. Pietersen pointed out that pitches in India often face scrutiny in similar situations and argued that the MCG surface should be held to the same standard.
Both England and Australia managed fewer than 100 overs combined in their first innings, as the grassy Melbourne wicket offered significant assistance to seam bowlers. Josh Tongue’s five-wicket haul helped England dismiss Australia for 152, while the tourists themselves struggled with the bat.
Michael Neser then claimed four wickets to give Australia a crucial 42-run lead. Following the day’s play, Pietersen shared his views on his official X account, writing:
“India ALWAYS gets hammered when wickets fall like crazy on day 1 of a Test and so I hope that Australia gets the same scrutiny! Fair is fair!”
India ALWAYS gets hammered when wickets fall like crazy on day 1 of a Test and so I hope that Australia gets the same scrutiny!
Fair is fair!— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) December 26, 2025
Indian pitches have frequently been criticized, particularly by former overseas players, for being too spin-friendly. The issue gained significant attention during the 2021 pink-ball Test against England in Ahmedabad, which concluded in under two days.
“We Did An Amazing Job” – England Bowler After Historic Win In Melbourne
Tongue, the first English bowler to claim a five-wicket haul at the MCG since Darren Gough and Dean Headley in 1998, acknowledged that the pitch offered more assistance than anticipated. The right-arm pacer told reporters, as cited by The Guardian:
“It’s been an amazing day of Test match cricket on Boxing Day. Obviously coming to the ground here this morning and winning the toss and putting the Aussies in to bat, I thought we did an amazing job as a bowling unit. And obviously they’ve bowled well as well. It’s a pitch which is doing quite a bit. But we’ve got to just come back tomorrow and do the same again.”
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