Melbourne, Dec. 27 -- Ben Stokes suggested the fourth Ashes Test wicket would face more scrutiny if it was played "somewhere else in the world" as the Melbourne Cricket Club braces for the International Cricket Council's forthcoming verdict on its seam-friendly pitch.
With Cricket Australia facing another multimillion-dollar loss from the second two-day Ashes Test of the series, Steve Smith conceded he was unsure why curator Matt Page left 10mm of grass on the seam-friendly MCG wicket that saw 36 wickets fall in 142 overs.
The 852 balls it lasted were five more than bowled in this summer's Perth Test, and the Melbourne match was the first ever completed Test on these shores that did not see a single over of spin bowled.
It will have ICC ...