Ben Stokes Subtly Exposes the Hypocrisy of Australian Media, Criticizes MCG Pitch Despite England’s Historic Win

Reflecting on the Melbourne Test, Ben Stokes asserted that a Boxing Day Test should never conclude in under two days, regardless of the result.

Ben Stokes Subtly Exposes the Hypocrisy of Australian Media, Criticizes MCG Pitch Despite England’s Historic Win

Ben Stokes slammed Australian media for its hypocricy in reporting about the MCG pitch. (via Guardian)

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England Test captain Ben Stokes launched a scathing attack on the Melbourne Cricket Ground surface, after the fourth Ashes Test ended within a matter of two days. Despite winning by six wickets, Stokes subtly pointed out the Australian media’s perceived ‘hypocrisy’ in their reporting on the pitch. 

The Melbourne encounter marked the second match of the 2025-26 Ashes to conclude within just two days of play. This followed the pattern established in the Perth opener, where Australia secured an eight-wicket win by chasing 205. In a reversal of fortunes at the MCG, England emerged victorious by hunting down a tricky 175-run target in a mere 32.2 overs, relying on their signature ‘Baz-Ball’ philosophy.

The last time there had been multiple two-day Tests in the same Ashes series was in 1912. Contrary to how the MCG surface had reacted during the previous year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy encounter between Australia and India, for this Ashes clash, curator Matt Page prepared a significantly different pitch. It was characterized by extreme seam movement and steep bounce, resulting in a low-scoring thriller.

England captain Ben Stokes, who himself took advantage of the pitch by scalping four wickets across both innings, made a harsh assessment. The 34-year-old, despite leading his side to a historic Test win on Australian soil after 14 years, aimed a subtle dig at Australian media and pundits for not criticizing the MCG surface enough. He added that had a similar pitch been prepared in any other part of the world, it would raise ‘hell’ and lead to significant outcry.

Being brutally honest, that’s not really what you want. Boxing Day Test match. You don’t want a game finishing in less than two days. Not ideal.

Stokes shared his thoughts on BBC’s Test Match Special, where he was also questioned about where he was referring to pitches in Asia in his perceived ‘hypocrisy’ remark. Despite the English captain’s disagreement, a link can very well be established between his comments and the Eden Gardens surface, which was heavily criticised after the first Test between India and South Africa ended due to its excessive turn.

But I’m pretty sure if that [MCG pitch] was somewhere else in the world, there’d be hell on. Not the best thing for games that should be played over five days.

Australian stand-in skipper Steve Smith however, was more cautious in his assessment of the Melbourne Cricket Ground surface. Smith labelled the pitch as a ‘tricky’ one, while stating that the job of a curator is to ensure the right sort of balance between batters and bowlers.

The captaincy shortlist: Who is most likely to succeed Ben Stokes as England’s Test captain?

While it is unlikely that England might appoint a new Test captain despite the team’s underwhelming display under Ben Stokes’ leadership, several potential candidates have emerged to replace the 34-year-old in the future. Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell are among them.

Ben Stokes replacement England Test captain
Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell could be Ben Stokes’ replacement as England’s Test captain in the future. (via Indian Express)

Ben Stokes was appointed England’s Test captain in 2022, succeeding Joe Root. The veteran all-rounder has led the team in 41 matches since then, winning 23 of those, ensuring a win percentage of 56.09. Stokes’ win-rate is the highest among captains who have led the England red-ball team in more than 40 matches, putting him even ahead of legends like Sir Alastair Cook and Michael Vaughan.

However, England have not fared well in the 2025-26 Ashes. It has put Stokes’ leadership in doubt, with fans even calling for the 34-year-old to be replaced at the end of the series. Within the current lot, Harry Brook has emerged as the foremost candidate to succeed Ben Stokes. The 26-year-old batter is England’s vice-captain in the longest format and holds the leadership positions in both ODIs and T20Is. 

Apart from Brook, Ollie Pope might be another candidate to replace Stokes. Emerging all-rounder Jacob Bethell, who was appointed the Three Lions’ youngest-ever captain during a T20I series against Ireland earlier this year, might also be considered for a future captaincy role.

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