The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) concluded dramatically in only two days, leaving chief curator Matt Page in a "state of shock." England chased down the target with a four-wicket victory on Day 2, ending a nearly 15-year wait for a win on Australian soil in a Test match. The match witnessed an extraordinary 20 wickets falling on the opening day and a total of 36 wickets across both innings, making it one of the shortest Tests in recent history. Former players and fans expressed widespread disappointment over the bowler-dominated pitch that failed to produce a single fifty from any batsman.

Speaking to SEN Cricket after the game, Matt Page admitted the outcome was unprecedented in his experience. "I was in a state of shock after the first day to see everything that happened," he said. "Twenty wickets in a day—I have never been involved in a Test match like it, and hopefully never will be again." He described the two days as a "rollercoaster ride" but remained optimistic about learning from the experience. "We will learn from it, we will grow from it, and we will get better at it, just like we have over the past years," Page added. "I have no doubt we will come back bigger, better, and stronger than we have done."

Page explained the preparation strategy behind the pitch, noting that the MCG has deliberately produced bowler-friendly surfaces in recent seasons to ensure an early contest. He attributed the extreme seam movement and variable bounce to weather conditions leading up to the match. "This year we went in with 10 millimeters [of moisture] as we knew we were going to get a lot of hot weather at the back end of the game," he said. Last year, heavier moisture retention had created better balance, but this time the combination of retained moisture and subsequent hot weather resulted in a surface that heavily favored fast bowlers from the outset.

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England captain Ben Stokes and his team delivered a commanding performance, dismissing Australia cheaply twice and completing the chase in just 32.2 overs on Day 2. The emphatic result kept England's hopes alive in the series, even though the Ashes urn remained out of reach. The rapid finish has sparked intense debate about pitch preparation at iconic venues like the MCG, with calls for greater balance to allow batters a fair contest while maintaining the competitive spirit of Test cricket. Page's candid reflections highlight the challenges curators face in delivering surfaces that satisfy both tradition and modern expectations in a high-profile series like the Ashes.

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