Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and get behind-the-scenes access and unrivalled insightJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterEngland captain Ben Stokes has admitted that his side’s chaotic two-day victory over Australia in the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne was “not the best advertisement” for Test match cricket.While there was undoubtedly a superficially fun edge to seeing the mayhem unfold at the MCG, this was the second time in the series that a Test has finished inside two days –despite only 25 such occurrences previously in the entirety of Test cricket history heading into the Ashes.England sealed a dramatic four-wicket win by successfully chasing down 175 on an absolute minefield of a pitch that has come in for heavy criticism for being almost impossible to bat on, as shown by 20 wickets falling on day one and a further 16 in less than an a full day’s play 24 hours later.open image in galleryAn incredibly green pitch caused havoc in the fourth Ashes Test (AFP via Getty Images)And while Stokes was delighted that his side finally ended a 15-year wait for an Ashes Test win in Australia, as well as salvaging some pride from a series where they lost the urn in almost record time, he acknowledged that the conditions will have done nothing to promote the sport.“It’s a great feeling [to win],” Stokes told Test Match Speical. “It happened very quickly. The game was set up for us to chase down a total. Suddenly, when you have a target, it makes things a lot easier.“The way that wicket played throughout, it was clear and obvious how we had to take that game on. It was not the best advertisement for Test match wickets but you have to face the conditions that are in front of you.“I think even [Australia captain] Steve [Smith] knew it was going to do a bit, but that was not the best, was it? Thirty-six wickets in less than two days and nothing over 200. I think you can read into that a lot.“If that was another condition somewhere else and that happened, you probably would get a pasting. That is what we had to try play our cricket on and, you know, when the pressure was on and the moment mattered, we were able to stand up and deliver something good.“In that pressure moment, if I’m honest, is what we have not been able to do so far in the series, so I’m obviously very ecstatic about the result that we managed to get here.“We still have one more…
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2025-12-27 09:17:37
