With the third day of the Boxing Day match in Melbourne another 90,000-plus sell out, England’s four-wicket win inside six sessions of play has cost Cricket Australia the five-million figure in ticket sales. The early finish, hastened when 19 wickets fell on the opening day, meant Cricket Australia took a $5m (£2.5m) hit and the local economy was denied its own portion of the financial pie. Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg yesterday hinted that the governing body could step in to ensure pitches are prepared to the expected standard. ‘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 your point is a good one, there are traditionalists in Test match cricket who like the ebbs and flows and the slow build.

Source: Daily Mail December 27, 2025 15:05 UTC