Australia coach Andrew McDonald came to the defence of the Melbourne Cricket Ground's under-fire curator Monday and warned against authorities meddling in pitch preparation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Curator Matt Page and his team have been in the firing line after leaving 10 millimetres of grass on the wicket for the fourth Ashes Test against England.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It provided the seamers with movement and bounce, making batting treacherous, with England winning by four wickets inside two days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The carnage left Cricket Australia facing Aus$10 million (US$6.7 million) in revenue shortfall, with tickets for day three, four and five needing to be refunded.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
McDonald said Page had done an "outstanding" job over the years and the batsmen should also shoulder some of the blame for not scoring enough runs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"The perspective that I always use is we have bad Test matches as well -- this Test we weren't at our best and sometimes these things can happen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We support him in what he's done and are really proud of the evolution of the MCG.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"He's found a nice balance for a long period of time."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
International Cricket Council referee Jeff Crowe is yet to deliver his assessment of the pitch, which if handed an "unsatisfactory" rating would see the venue slapped with a demerit point.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Cricket Australia are set to undertake their own end-of-season review of the management of Test wickets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Chief executive Todd Greenberg has suggested a more interventionist approach might be needed, with shorter Tests "bad for business".<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But McDonald said he was not in favour of any interference, with curators in Australia traditionally independent when preparing pitches, both from captains and Cricket Australia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I don't want to get to a situation ... where we are asking for specific surfaces and tailor-made," McDonald said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I don't think Australia will ever go there, and I don't think they've ever been there, to my knowledge."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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