A stunning display by Australia on the final day of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, whereby they turned a seemingly lifeless, rain-marred contest into a pulsating victory, was one of the highlights of the MCG cricket summer.
The MCG ground staff had spent as much time on the field as the players on the first four days of the Test, as Melbourne served up a spate of humid, unstable weather that led to several hours of play lost on Boxing Day, as well as the second and fourth day.On the final morning, Australia resumed on 6/465 in reply to Pakistan’s 9/443 declared, with the small crowd carrying little hope of seeing a result.
But a blistering 84 from 91 balls by Mitchell Starc (including an MCG Test record of seven sixes) and a sublime 165 not out from captain Steve Smith enabled a declaration at 8/624.
Needing 10 wickets in little more than two sessions, the Australian cause seemed lost as Pakistan reached 2/63 – before collapsing in a heap. The visitors lost eight wickets in the ensuing two hours to be dismissed for 163 and lose by an innings and 18 runs in the final hour of the match.
Starc put the finishing touches on a remarkable day by claiming 4/36 in Pakistan’s second innings, including the final three wickets.
Earlier in the match, a patient Boxing Day crowd of 63,478 (the highest for a Test day involving Pakistan) saw just 50.5 overs of action before rain ended proceedings.
Only another 50.3 overs were possible on the second day, enough time for Pakistan opener Azhar Ali to reach his century.
On a rain-free third day, Ali moved along to 205, succumbing just three runs short of Vic Richards’ 208 in 1984 – still the highest Test score by a visiting batsman at the MCG.
The Percy Beames Bar wall, which commemorates the best Test achievements by batsman and bowler at the MCG, will carry the Master Blaster’s name for at least another year.
The home team also won the MCG one-day international (ODI) on December 9 against New Zealand. The 117-run triumph was due mainly to a blistering 156 from 128 balls by opener David Warner – the fourth-highest individual ODI innings at the MCG.
As we entered the New Year, all eyes were on the MCG for the Big Bash League derby between Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades. The corresponding fixture the previous summer drew more than 80,000 fans – breaking all manner of domestic cricket crowd records – and expectations were high.
The final crowd of 71,162 was the second-highest domestic T20 crowd at the MCG (see accompanying table). On another rain-affected day, the Renegades triumphed by nine runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method, after the Stars’ run chase was reduced by two overs due to a light shower in the innings break.
The average attendance across the four MCG BBL matches was 49,578 - the highest figure of the six BBL tournaments - and up considerably from 28,248 the previous season. It was the first time that every Melbourne Stars match at the MCG had drawn a crowd of more than 40,000. There is no doubting the popularity of this format of the game and this tournament, packaged neatly into the summer holidays.
In between BBL clashes, Australia’s ODI outfit returned to the MCG for a 50-over contest against Pakistan on January 15. Pakistan won the day, achieving their victory target of 221 with six wickets and 14 balls to spare.
To round out the summer of cricket, a crowd of 42,511 saw an entertaining Twenty20 between Australia and Sri Lanka on February 17. An undermanned Australia, missing several stars due to preparations for the Test series in India, battled manfully and took Sri Lanka to the final ball of its run chase, which was led by Asala Gunaratne (52 from 37 balls).
However, the visitors took the points, handing Australia its fourth loss in the past six T20 internationals at the MCG.
More than 432,000 attended the 12 days of international and BBL cricket contests, whetting the appetite for next summer’s Ashes contest.
As we went to press, the Bushrangers were on top of the Sheffield Shield table with three matches remaining. However, the MCG cricket season is over, with Cricket Victoria relocating its final home match (March 8-11) to Traeger Park Oval in Alice Springs. If they hold top position, the Bushrangers will likely host the final interstate during Round 1 of the AFL season.
Top 10 MCG domestic Twenty20 cricket crowds
| 80,883 |
Stars v Renegades |
Jan 2, 2016 |
| 71,162 | Stars v Renegades |
Jan 1, 2017 |
| 47,672 | Stars v Thunder |
Jan 24, 2016 |
| 46,671 | Stars v Sixers |
Jan 21, 2017 |
| 46,581 | Stars v Renegades |
Jan 6, 2013 |
| 43,125 | Victoria v Tasmania |
Jan 15, 2010 |
| 40,254 | Stars v Strikers |
Jan 10, 2017 |
| 40,227 | Stars v Renegades |
Jan 7, 2012 |
| 40,225 | Stars v Heat |
Jan 17, 2017 |
| 37, 323 |
Stars v Renegades |
Jan 10, 2015 |