ICC rates MCG pitch ‘unsatisfactory’ after two-day Ashes Test

• Match referee says pitch ‘too much in favour of bowlers’

• Shortened Test could cost Cricket Australia up to $10m

The MCG pitch where England beat Australia inside two days in the fourth Ashes Test has been rated ‘unsatisfactory’ by the International Cricket Council.

Head curator Matthew Page admitted he was in a “state of shock” at how the penultimate match of the series unfolded on a surface that had 10mm grass left on, producing lavish movement for seam bowlers.