Stokes Slams "Bowler-Friendly" MCG Pitch After 20 Wickets Tumble on Day 1

• England captain Ben Stokes criticized the "overwhelmingly bowler-friendly" MCG pitch after 20 wickets fell on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test.
• Stokes, Kevin Pietersen, and Dinesh Karthik highlighted selective criticism, noting similar outrage is absent for pacer-friendly pitches compared to spin-friendly Indian tracks.
• The match concluded in less than two days, with 36 wickets falling in just six sessions, which Stokes deemed "not ideal" for a Boxing Day Test.
• Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg called short Tests "bad for business," acknowledging the pitch was not a great advertisement for Test cricket.
• The 10mm grass on the pitch caused massive sideways movement, making batting extremely difficult.

Why It Matters: Stokes and others criticize MCG's bowler-friendly pitch, highlighting double standards in cricket pitch debates.