England won the fourth Ashes Test in less than 32 hours, with 36 wickets falling for 572 runs off 142 overs. England won by four wickets. No player from either team managed a half-century, a feat that had not occurred in a Test match in Australia since 1932.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking to the media outside the MCG on Sunday, Page explained the challenges he faced while preparing the pitch and expressed his dismay at the result.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe\u2019re obviously really disappointed that it\u2019s been gone two days. We\u2019d rather be in there (today) watching these two great teams going at it,\" he told reporters. \u201cWe\u2019ll learn from this, we\u2019ll get better from it, as we have done over the last seven years with every setback we\u2019ve faced. We\u2019ll grow from it, and we\u2019ll ensure that we get it right again next year.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Page admitted he was surprised after 20 wickets fell on Day 1. \u201cI was in a state of shock after the first day to see everything that happened. 20 wickets in a day, I\u2019ve never been involved in a Test match like it, and hopefully never involved in a Test match like it again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"It was a rollercoaster ride for two days to see everything unfold. But we\u2019ll learn from it, we\u2019ll grow from it, we\u2019ll get better at it, just like we have over the past years. I have no doubt we will come back bigger, better and stronger than we have done,\" he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) chief Stuart Fox also expressed his disappointment on Boxing Day, two days ago, and said the pitch was clearly favouring bowlers and had nothing to offer the batters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"This pitch has clearly favoured the bowlers and hasn\u2019t given the batters a good opportunity to get set. So we\u2019re obviously disappointed. What it demonstrates is the really fine margins that Matt and his team are dealing with,\" Fox said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We had some circumstances leading into the Test that were difficult, particularly around weather. We do understand the impact this has had on, particularly, the fans, and obviously, one of our key stakeholders in Cricket Australia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We don\u2019t plan for this to happen; we\u2019re disappointed, and we\u2019ll move on. We\u2019ll respond quickly. Matt and his team have done it before and he\u2019s produced some good pitches, so I\u2019ve got all the faith in the world in Matt and his team,\" he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Page also gave the reason for his team having 10 millimetres of grass on the pitch this year, compared with last year\u2019s seven.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We had a lot of hot weather leading into last year, which makes it a lot easier for us to control our moistures leading in. We left more moisture in the top of the pitch last year to provide that contest early up in the game,\u201d Page said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe felt that we had the balance really good leading into that game. This year we went in with 10 mils as we knew we were going to get a lot of hot weather at the back end of the game. We\u2019re really conscious of flat pitches, we don\u2019t want to go back to what we had in 2017 (when it was a road). Our grass is vitally important to what we do. We don\u2019t get inconsistent bounce, we don\u2019t get deterioration in our pitches.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We had a lot of hot weather leading into last year, which makes it a lot easier for us to control our moistures leading in. We left more moisture in the top of the pitch last year to provide that contest early up in the game,\u201d Page said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite the pitch debacle, the MCC chief said that he stood by Page and his team. \"We brought Matt on eight years ago because he\u2019s considered one of the best in the country, if not the best, and I still believe that, and I always will. He\u2019s done a great job. He and his team worked tirelessly to get this right. You can see he\u2019s disappointed today. He carries that responsibility, and my job as a leader is to support people,\" he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n