India vs Australia 2020: MCG’s Drop-In Pitch May Not be up to Mark For Boxing Day Test

India vs Australia 2020: The traditional Boxing Day Test begins on December 26 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The much-anticipated Boxing Day Test’s drop-in pitches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for India vs Australia clash may not be as well prepared. Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) chief executive Stuart Fox feels that the lack of trial on the pitch makes it quality doubtful for the second Test match of Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“It is a concern for me because I would like to give them every opportunity to trial the pitches but we [were to have had] a test event the other day and Cricket Victoria were supporting us, we were meant to have players and a two-day game and we had the pitch ready to go but the game got cancelled the night before and that was really, ultimately, the result of the situation in South Australia,” Fox was quoted as saying by the Age and Sydney Morning Herald.

The MCC CEO further stated that they are still working on to have a trial match at the MCG but he feels it may not happen.

Plans for a two-day trial match at the MCG this week to test the drop-in pitches were abandoned. “I think it demonstrates how vulnerable we still are day by day. Ideally, we would love to have a game and we are still working on that but, ultimately, it may not happen,” he said.

The traditional Boxing Day Test begins on December 26.

The report added that the MCG could also not host the opening rounds of Sheffield Shield and the first four rounds were held in Adelaide, which has now got severely hit by coronavirus outbreak.

The Adelaide Oval will host the opening Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on December 17, which will also be the first day-night Test for India in overseas conditions. While the limited-overs series is scheduled to start from November 27 with first ODI to be played at Sydney Cricket Ground.