Name: Fans left unimpressed after Boxing Day blowout
Uploaded: 2025-12-28T06:59:28.166Z
Duration: 1 min 46 s
Description: Refunds have been issued to thousands of ticket holders after the Boxing Day test wrapped up in just two days, with England achieving a long-awaited victory in Australia. The abrupt finish has led to financial losses and scrutiny over the MCG pitch.

Refunds have been issued to thousands of ticket holders after the Boxing Day test wrapped up in just two days, with England achieving a long-awaited victory in Australia. The abrupt finish has led to financial losses and scrutiny over the MCG pitch.

Melbourne

The Boxing Day test match at Melbourne Cricket Ground ended after only two days, marking England's first test win in Australia in over 5,000 days. The early conclusion left many fans disappointed, with only a small portion of the expected crowd attending on what would have been the third day.

Cricket Australia faces potential losses of up to $10 million due to ticket refunds and missed revenue from record crowds. The pitch preparation has come under scrutiny, with the curator admitting the grounds did not provide an even contest, and attention now shifts to Sydney for the next test.

Fans left unimpressed after Boxing Day blowout

In what felt like the blink of an eye, the Boxing Day test is over. After 5,468 long days, England win a test match in Australia. A fraction of the 90,000 fans geared up for Day 3 action at the MCG turned up, meeting their heroes as a consolation prize. So we got off the plane, looked at the score and then realised we wouldn't be watching any cricket when we got over here, so, yeah, we're gutted, really. This was my one day to go watch some Usher's cricket and check it off the bucket list. Mixed feelings, really, but, yeah, a bit more cricket would have been great. The sold-out crowd will be getting their money back. We don't plan for this to happen. We're disappointed. But the two-day test will leave a potential $10 million hole in Cricket Australia's pocket and those banking on what could have been record-breaking crowds. There's lots of issues to deal with. We've got huge skin in this game as a stakeholder as well, so there's no interest for us for this test to run for two days. Fingers are already pointing. We had tickets for today, but finished very quickly with 10mm of grass. The man behind the pitch says there's a lot of factors to getting the grounds just right. The international regulator is yet to deliver its assessment of the pitch, but the club's curator has conceded the grounds didn't allow for an even contest, challenging the stadium's reputation as the best in the country. That balance between bat and ball and going four or five days, you know, we've produced a test that's been captivating, but it hasn't gone long enough. With two two-day shockers this year, all eyes are now turning to Sydney in the hopes it'll be more traditional. We have a get-out clause. Sydney, days one and two, and we're just keeping an eye on the weather now. Ashley Boholic, 10 News.

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