Pitch used for Boxing Day Ashes test rated "poor" by ICC

The pitch used for the Boxing Day test between Australia and England in Melbourne has been rated as "poor" by the International Cricket Council.  Only 24 wickets fell over the five days of the drawn fourth Ashes test.
      
Australia scored 327 and 263-4 declared at the Melbourne Cricket Cround (MCG), either side of England's 491.

After the match, Australia captain Steve Smith said: "It was probably the flattest wicket I have played on. If we played for the next two days, it wouldn't change." Cricket Australia has 14 days to provide a response.

The rating given to the MCG pitch is the last handed out to a test ground before the ICC switches to a new system in time for the fifth Ashes test in Sydney, which begins on Tuesday night (Caribbean time)

In the new process, if a pitch or outfield is sub-standard, a venue can be awarded demerit points, which accumulate over a five-year period.

If a venue gains five demerit points, it will be barred from hosting international cricket for 12 months, while 10 points would result in a two-year suspension.