The AUS vs ENG 4th Test has come under scrutiny with a result on the cards on Day 2 of the Test match. Australia were bowled out twice inside four sessions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with a spicy pitch on offer for the Boxing Day Test. It marks the second Test that would inside two days this series, following the series opener in Perth.
Following the first session, former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed his disappointment on the state of the game.
"This pitch is a joke .. This is selling the game short .. The players / Broadcasters and more importantly the fans .. 26 wickets in 98 overs," he wrote on X.
Vaughan's sentiment was echoed by several former cricketers and broadcasters. Kevin Pietersen, Vaughan's former teammate and another ex-England captain, wrote that Australia should get the same scrutiny as India get for their rank turners.
Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik called the surface at MCG 'ordinary'. Karthik wrote that for all the hype Ashes creates, 4 tests could end inside 13 days.
England elected to bowl first, and a five-wicket haul from Josh Tongue bowled out Australia for just 152 in the first innings. In response, the visitors ended their day by huffing and puffing their way to 110 all out. In the second innings, Australia were cleaned up for 132 before Tea on Day 2.
