Short Tests prompt CA to consider pitch intervention

Cricket Australia will consider playing a stronger role in the preparation of Test pitches around the country as short matches this summer threaten the sport's bottom line.

The marquee Boxing Day Test finished inside two days after a remarkable 20 wickets fell on day one of a Test match for the first time in Australia since 1951.

The first three innings lasted less than 110 overs, completed early in the fifth session of the match, before England sealed a four-wicket win.

A total of 36 wickets fell across six sessions.

The MCG carnage came after the Perth Test also failed to reach a third day, costing CA about $4 million in revenue.

The latest setback is likely to have an even greater financial effect because huge crowds were expected to follow the record-breaking MCG attendances - 94,199 and 92,045 - from the opening two days.

"The simple phrase I'd use is, 'short Tests are bad for business'," CA chief executive Todd Greenberg told SEN before play on Saturday morning.

"I can't be much more blunt than that."

The Optus Stadium pitch in Perth was rated "very good" by the ICC, but also described as a "piece of shit" by Australian batsman Usman Khawaja.

The MCG pitch has been even more lively this week and came under intense scrutiny, with esteemed former pacemen Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Stuart Broad among the past greats who criticised it for being too heavily in the quicks' favour.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan described the pitch as a "joke" that was "selling the game short", noting the impact on fans and broadcasters.

CA has historically allowed curators independence, simply instructing state bodies to give their local venues "unique characteristics" as part of their strategy.

But Greenberg said the governing body will consider stepping in as early as next summer in what would be a significant shift in policy.

"It's hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, particularly commercially," Greenberg said.

"I'm not suggesting we're going to go around talking to ground staff, but we do have to have a careful eye on what our expectations are over the course of a summer.

"As I said, short Tests aren't good for business."

Greenberg conceded pitch preparation is an "inexact science", with a range of variables affecting the process.

He praised last year's MCG Test pitch, which was rated "very good" by the ICC, but conceded 20 wickets on day one this year was too many.

Ground staff left 10mm of grass on the deck after cool weather in the build-up, and the result was the most wickets falling on the first day at the MCG since 25 tumbled in 1902.

"As mesmerising, fascinating and enjoyable as it was to watch as a fan, we want Test cricket, clearly, to go for longer," Greenberg said.

Greenberg added players' evolving tactics are a factor for consideration in pitch preparation.

"We've never (got involved) because we've never needed to," he said.

"Clearly the players are evolving to a point where you didn't see in tricky conditions (on day one) any real partnership that dug in and said, 'We're going to try and get through these next two hours.'

"What we saw was players running down the wicket trying to hit their way out of it.

"So if that's the modern game, is the wicket preparation and our conditions conducive to getting the best outcomes for the sport? That's probably an open question on me and others."

The official crowd of 94,199 at the MCG on Friday was a record for a day of cricket in Australia, surpassing the previous mark of 93,013 for the ODI World Cup final in 2015.

Another 92,045 fans piled into the iconic venue on Saturday in a record day-two attendance, surpassing the 85,147 who watched last year's Australia-India battle.

Both days one and two at the MCG beat the previous record for a day of Test cricket, when 91,112 attended day one of the 2013 Ashes contest.