The fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ended in just two days on 27 December 2025, with **England** scoring 175 runs and winning by four wickets—their first win in Australia since 2011, ending an 18-match winless streak and also avoiding a whitewash (series 3–1 in favor of Australia).
The conditions for the batsmen deteriorated on a seaming pitch with 10mm grass: **20 wickets** fell on the first day (the most in an Ashes debut since 1909) and **16** on the second day, for a total of **36** wickets in 142 overs—all taken by seamers, no spinners bowled and no half-century scored.
Critics including Michael Vaughan (“a joke”), Kevin Pietersen and captains Ben Stokes/Steve Smith described the pitch as being too bowler-friendly. The curator also expressed surprise, saying that the pitch performed better than expected.
Former India off-spinner **Ravichandran Ashwin** declined to criticize, maintaining a balanced opinion on his YouTube channel: “I wouldn’t criticize the MCG pitch because it was the same for both teams. It was fun to watch—like watching a racing thriller.” He slammed alleged double standards, and compared Indian turning pitches (such as the recent Eden Gardens Test) to seaming pitches abroad.
Ashwin stressed that the essence of Test cricket is to adapt to similar conditions, and praised the importance of entertainment amid debates over the balance of the pitch.
**Josh Tong** was named player of the match for taking 7 wickets (including a five-wicket haul). The last Test will start on January 4 in Sydney.
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