Short Tests are bad for business: CA CEO Todd Greenberg after MCG debacle

Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg admitted to a sleepless night after a dramatic opening day of the Boxing Day Test that saw 20 wickets tumble, even as a record crowd packed the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Despite 94,199 fans turning up on day one and another sell-out expected on day two, Greenberg acknowledged the growing concern within Cricket Australia over the financial impact of Tests that end too quickly. The anxiety stems from CA’s recent experience in Perth, where a two-day Test resulted in losses of around AUD 5 million, and the fear that a similarly shortened contest at the MCG could trigger another significant hit.

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“I didn’t sleep well last night, put it that way,” Greenberg said while speaking to SEN ahead of Day 2 of the Test.

“It was an amazing day of Test cricket, so for that record number of people who were here, boy, they’ve had an experience. But our challenge is to make sure we can continue those experiences day after day. That’s the challenge for all of us,” he added.

Greenberg was candid when asked whether such a wicket-heavy day was problematic for the game. “The short answer for that in my opinion is yes.”

“As mesmerising and fascinating and enjoyable as it was to watch as a fan, we want Test cricket clearly to go for longer. A simple phrase I’d use is short Tests are bad for business. I can’t be much more blunt than that.

“So I would like to see a slightly broader balance between the bat and the ball. I thought yesterday slightly favoured the ball. The batters have some ownership in some of that, it’s not all around the pitch, but we’ve got some challenges,” he added.

While the spectacle thrilled those in attendance, the broader concern for administrators is sustainability. CA had hoped to capitalise on unprecedented demand across the Ashes series, with strong pre-sales across the first three days of the MCG Test despite the series already being decided. A match wrapped up inside six sessions, however, threatens to undermine those projections.

MCG pitch under scrutiny

The MCG surface has also come under scrutiny, with several former players-turned-pundits criticising the pitch for offering excessive assistance to seam bowlers. That criticism has sharpened focus on whether Cricket Australia should become more involved in pitch preparation to avoid ultra-short Tests.

“Historically, we have taken a hands-off approach in all of our wicket preparation and allowed the staff and the conditions and those characteristics to be presented,” Greenberg said. “But it’s hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, particularly commercially.

“I’m not suggesting we’re going to go around talking to groundstaff, but we do have to have a careful eye on what our expectations are over the course of a summer,” he added.

Not ideal: Ben Stokes

England captain Ben Stokes was blunt in his assessment of the MCG pitch, despite his team ending on the winning side. “Being brutally honest, that’s not really what you want,” Stokes said.

“Boxing Day Test match. You don’t want a game finishing in less than two days. Not ideal. But you can’t change it once you start the game and you’ve just got to play what’s in front of you.

“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,” he added.

On being asked if he was referring to what the reaction would be if a two-day Test had been played on a subcontinent pitch, Stokes did not give a direct response. However, when probed about his feedback of the pitch to the match referee, he said, “It won’t be the best.”

Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith offered a more diplomatic response on the nature of the wicket at the MCG, saying, “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.”

“In an ideal world, every wicket does that and it’s exciting for everyone. But yeah, maybe if you took it from 10 [millimetres] 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,” he added.