Last Updated on 3 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Greg Chappell has sent a huge warning for Test cricket after the Boxing Day Ashes encounter ended inside two days. Chappell, one of Australia’s finest ever, was scathing of the batsmen rather than the pitch, criticising them for opting to hit out instead of fighting through the difficult periods,
In his piece for Sydney Morning Herald, Chappell compared the current group of players to those of yesteryear, including the Centenary Test in 1977 and Don Bradman’s magnificent 1936/37 side.
Greg Chappell does not miss in his assessment of Australia and England in 2025 Boxing Day Test
“Batters from both sides crumpled like autumn leaves in a gale. Wickets tumbled in clusters, scores hovered in the low hundreds, and the crowd, that vast sea of 90,000 souls at the MCG, was left cheated of the epic they deserved,” Chappell wrote.
“What shocked me most was not the conditions themselves, for cricket has always been a game at the mercy of the elements.
“No, it was the batters’ reactions: gestures of disbelief, muttered oaths, wry smiles as they trudged off, as if they alone had been cursed by a rogue delivery in the sport’s long history. They behaved like novices encountering adversity for the first time, oblivious to the blood, sweat, and sheer willpower that have sustained Test cricket through far worse trials.”
Chappell then questioned the desire of the Australian and English players in the 2025 Boxing Day Test that lasted 142 overs. While the MCG pitch was difficult for batting, the number of technical mistakes that were on show was remarkable.
“Two Tests in the series have failed to reach day three, not due to superior skill but a glaring absence of desire. Batters slashed wildly, abandoning technique for bravado, as if ‘playing their natural game’ excused capitulation,” Chappell wrote.
“They let down predecessors who bled for this rivalry; they shortchanged fans who braved the holiday heat; they betrayed their own generation by forsaking cricket’s core tenets – playing each ball on merit, scrapping for every run, enduring bruises for the greater good. I cannot believe any player left the field thinking they had given their all.”
Chappell critical of Matt Page being made to front the media
MCG curator Matt Page faced the media on what was meant to be the third day of the Test. He admitted the surface, which had 10mm of grass, was too favourable to the seam bowlers. However, Chappell was critical of Page being made to front the media instead of the focus being on the batsmen.
“I get that white-ball cricket has changed the game and power is valued more in the marketplace today than the ability to absorb pressure, but if the modern player does value Test cricket, as they say, then they must show it by being able to bat collectively for a minimum of 100 overs in any conditions. If they can’t, or won’t, do that, then the format is doomed,” Chappell wrote.
“They hurled [Matt] Page under the bus, blaming the pitch rather than their own frailties. Few put their body on the line, gesturing, laughing and cursing as they departed as if the surface was unplayable. Appalling.
“This is Test cricket, not a casual net. Get over yourselves and honour the format that has elevated you. Fight for your comrades, your colours. Absorb blows to extend the contest, ensuring spectators witness the drama they crave.”
England won the Boxing Day Test by four wickets, chasing down the 175-run target as the pitch continued to offer plenty of seam movement. It was their first win down under since 2011.
The action will move to Sydney for the New Years’ Test which begins on Sunday, January 4.
