Ben Stokes calls MCG pitch 'not ideal' as England wins historic Ashes Test in 2 days

England captain Ben Stokes delivered a 'brutally honest' assessment of the Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch after his team secured a historic 4-wicket victory over Australia in just two days during the fourth Ashes Test on December 27, 2025. Stokes acknowledged the challenging conditions that saw 20 wickets fall on Day 1, with Australia bowled out for 152 and England dismissed for 110, followed by another 16 wickets on Day 2, ending the match in 142 overs. This marked England's first Test win on Australian soil since 2010, breaking a 15-year drought. Stokes criticized the pitch, stating it was 'not what you want' for a Boxing Day Test, noting the excessive seam movement made batting extremely difficult. Australia's Steve Smith echoed these concerns, suggesting the grass was too long at eight millimeters, creating unfair conditions. The short Test match follows similar issues in the Perth Test, raising commercial concerns for Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg, who warned that 'short Tests are bad for business.' The MCG pitch saw the most wickets fall on Day 1 of an Ashes Test since 1909, prompting criticism from former players including Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook.