The MCG has been handed one demerit point after the ICC deemed the Boxing Day Test match pitch ‘unsatisfactory’. 

In his assessment of the wicket, match referee Jeff Crowe stated that the pitch had been prepared 'too much in favour of the bowlers'.

The 'unsatisfactory' rating is the second-lowest ranking in the ICC's four-tier system. Should a venue receive six demerit points in the space of a five-year period, the ground can be suspended from hosting international cricket for a year. 

Players, fans and pundits have been queuing up to criticise how the wicket had been prepared, with England wrapping up a four-wicket victory inside just two days.

Twenty wickets fell on the first day of the match, with this also being the shortest-ever Test hosted at the MCG since 1932.

'The MCG pitch was [prepared] too much in favour of the bowlers,' Mr Crowe said when handing down his verdict.

'With 20 wickets falling on the first day, 16 on the second day and no batter even reaching a half-century, the pitch was 'unsatisfactory' as per the guidelines and the venue gets one demerit point.'

It is now being reported by The Sydney Morning Herald that Cricket Australia could lose up to $25million (£12.43m) in revenue after the Boxing Day Test ended prematurely. 

Stakeholders and broadcasters have been left 'fuming' following the match, with Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg telling SEN on Saturday that 'short Tests were bad for business'. Greenberg also hinted that the governing body could pay closer attention to how pitches are prepared in future. 

'We were disappointed for the fans holding tickets for days three and four, and also the millions of fans excited to watch the action in Australia and around the world, that the pitch did not provide the MCG's customary balance between bat and ball,' Cricket Australia chief James Allsopp said.

'We appreciate the outstanding work the MCC (Melbourne Cricket Club) staff have done over recent years, producing excellent Test match pitches.

'We're confident they will deliver first-rate surfaces for next year's Boxing Day Test against New Zealand and the hugely anticipated 150th Anniversary Test against England in March 2027.'

It came after the ICC had ranked the pitch used during the Perth Test as 'very good', despite that match also finishing inside two days. 

On Sunday, Melbourne Cricket Club curator Matt Page fronted the media to claim that he and his team had got the preparations wrong, adding that he had been 'in a state of shock'. 

While batters on both sides have been slammed for poor performances during the match, curators had left 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets falling in 142 overs across both days. The highest score from both teams was struck by Aussie star Travis Head, who amassed 46 runs during Australia's second innings. 

'I was in a state of shock after the first day, to see everything that happened and 20 wickets in a day,' Page told a scrum of reporters on Sunday. 'I've never been involved in a Test match like it, and hopefully will never be involved in a Test match like it again.

'It was a roller-coaster ride for two days to see everything unfold.'

Page also defended the decision to leave 10mm of grass on the wicket. 

'This year we went in with 10mm as we knew we were going to get a lot of hot weather at the back end of the game,' he added.

During last year's Boxing Day Test, curators had left only 7mm of grass on the wicket, with Australia going on to seal a thrilling victory against India on the fifth day of the Test match.

Page had hoped to replicate those same conditions, but instead, it became a fast-bowler's dream, with England's Josh Tongue taking a haul of five wickets on the first day. 

England captain Ben Stokes was particularly critical of the wicket, telling TNT Sports: 'I'm pretty sure if that was somewhere else in the world there'd be hell on [earth].

'It is not the best thing for games that should be played over five days but we played a type of cricket that ended up getting the job done,' Stokes added. 

His Aussie counterpart, Steve Smith, was more sympathetic to Page and his team.  

'Maybe if you took it from 10mm to 8mm (of grass), it would have been a nice, challenging wicket, but maybe a little bit more even,' Smith said. 

'But groundsmen are always learning and they'll probably take something from that.'

Melbourne Cricket Club CEO Stuart Fox placed his support behind Page when pressed on the pitch debacle.

'Matt and his team have done it before and he's produced some good pitches, so I've got all the faith in the world in Matt and his team,' he said.