Baffling analysis reprieve for MCG

THE hallowed turf of the MCG has made a controversial escape from death row this week, but debate is raging over the definition of a decent Test match deck.

After the MCG produced a depressingly flat pitch for last year’s Boxing Day Ashes Test, the International Cricket Council originally came down like a ton of bricks and declared they’d take the showpiece away from Melbourne if there was a repeat against India this summer.

But for all their huffing and puffing the Sunday Territorian can reveal the ICC has in fact let the MCG off the hook, and the threat of a ban has been non-existent all along.

The soft landing serves as another confusing blow for the game’s attempts to reinvigorate Test cricket following outrage from ex-greats Michael Vaughan and Mitchell Johnson that the ICC has officially rated the unpredictable Perth surface from last week’s second Test against India as “average”.

Commentators and players loved the ever-changing qualities of the new Perth deck, which still produced a five-day match, but ICC match officials bizarrely branded the surface with the lowest pass mark.

“And they wonder why Test match cricket is struggling,” tweeted Vaughan, who commentated for Fox Cricket.

“Was a tremendously exciting pitch which had a bit for everyone … should be more like this IMO (in my opinion).”

Former Australian quick Mitchell Johnson was at a loss as to what the game’s administrators regard as a good wicket.

“It was exciting to watch a contest between bat and ball for a change and not these dull flat tracks being served up constantly,” tweeted Johnson.

“I’d actually be interested in knowing what a good pitch is?”