Cricket Australia Face Massive Losses After AUS vs ENG Boxing Day Test: Here's Why

The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England on the Boxing day ended in just two days with the Three Lions winning the clash by four wickets. This was the second Test of the series which ended in just two days after the first Test Perth which also finished in two days, with Australia emerging as the winner

However, the AUS vs ENG 4th Test in Melbourne costed heavily to Cricket Australia financially despite a record crowd turning out to witness one of the greatest rivalries in cricket. Let's take a look how much loss they had to face after the fourth Test and why.

Cricket Australia Face Boxing Day Test Financial Losses

As mentioned earlier, the AUS vs ENG Melbourne Test ended in just two days. Usually, a Test match has a five day-duration which means that there will be no Ashes action in the next three days and no crowd at the stadium. It is being reported that Cricket Australia financial losses for Boxing Day Test is likely to be around INR 60.59cr due to early finish of the match.

The fans showed up in huge numbers of close to 1 lakh on the Boxing day, December 26, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the biggest cricket stadiums in the world. The third day was also expected to have a massive crowd since its a Sunday, however, the match ended up quite early. Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg even spoke about this issue for the future of Test cricket despite a record crowd.

“Short Tests are bad for business. The short answer for that, in my opinion, is yes. As mesmerising and fascinating and enjoyable as it was to watch as a fan, we want Test cricket clearly to go for longer.” Greenberg said while speaking to the media on Day 2 of the AUS vs ENG 4th Ashes Test.

"A simple phrase I'd use is short Tests are bad for business. I can't be much more blunt than that. So, I would like to see a slightly broader balance between the bat and the ball. I thought yesterday slightly favoured the ball. The batters have some ownership in some of that; it's not all around the pitch, but we've got some challenges," he concluded.

England Break 18-Match Winless Streak

The Three Lions finally recorded a Test win on the Australian soil after a gap of almost 15 years. England’s last Test win in Australia came at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2011. This is also the first Test win for former England captain Joe Root in 18 Tests in Australia, and the first for current skipper Ben Stokes in 13 games.

The star of the win was Josh Tongue who claimed a five-for in the first innings while picking up a couple of wickets in the second innings as well. Batters from both the teams failed to contribute much which is the reason why the match finished too early. Despite losing the match, Australia are 3-1 ahead in the Ashes series. The last match of the series will be played in Sydney on January 4 and England will look to end the series on winning note despite having failed to regain the Ashes.