Matt page

Boxing Day Test: Matt Page, the curator of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), said the drop-in pitch for the Boxing Day Test, starting on Thursday, will aid all fast bowlers, including India’s fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

Bumrah is the leading wicket-taker in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series currently tied at 1-1 with 21 wickets coming at an average of just 10.9. “I think all the quick bowlers get excited when they come here now. It gets through well for us.”

“We are never going to be as quick as Perth or Brisbane, but over the last few years we have managed to get some pace into it, which has created that excitement. There is a bit of grass on it. If you are a fast bowler, and you look it at, you probably do get excited,” said Page to reporters on Monday.