"It was tricky" - Steve Smith slams pitch after 36 wickets fall in two days of Boxing Day Test

Australia stand-in captain Steve Smith lashed out at the pitch prepared for the Boxing Day Test of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26 campaign at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which assisted bowlers heavily from the first over of the game.

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Notably, the Boxing Day Test concluded inside two days as England chased down a target of 175 on Day 2 to clinch their first victory in Australia since January 2011. While Day 1 witnessed as many as 20 wickets fall, the second day saw 16 wickets fall.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Smith asserted that 36 wickets falling across two days was ‘too much’ and suggested that having less grass on the surface might have eased the conditions slightly. 

"Yeah, I think a little bit too much. It was tricky, no one could really get in. I think when you see 36 wickets across two days, that's probably too much. So probably it did a little bit more than they (the curators) would have wanted. Maybe if we drop it (the grass) down to 8mm, it'd be about right, potentially," Smith said during the post-match presentation.

Furthermore, Smith also reckoned that at least 50-60 runs extra across both innings would have propelled Australia towards victory. Interestingly, this was England's first-ever win in Australia since January 2011.

"Tricky one, obviously a very quick game. If we'd managed that extra 50 or 60 runs across both innings, we probably would've been right in the contest at the end. I think it did a fair amount throughout the game, just probably when the ball softened after a few lusty blows from their top order today, it started to do a little bit less potentially. But without that, I think it was still going to offer plenty," he added.

Delving into the details of the game, Australia posted only 152 runs. In response, England posted 110 runs as Australia managed to get a 42-run lead. In the third innings, Australia went on to post 132 runs. In the chase, England finished off the game with four wickets in hand.

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