Ashes 2025: Ex-England cricketer Alastair Cook has revealed that if the pitch does improve on the second day of the ongoing match, it should be considered as bowlers-friendly and not a Test cricket match. Both Australia and England batted throughout the day, where the ball was swinging in the air and looked a bit off. The star batters were seen struggling as there was constant movement.
These tough conditions also had an effect on the scorecard as none of the batters was able to smash a fifty.
About 20 wickets fell on the first day of the Boxing Day Test match as the hosts were skittled out for just 152 runs, and then England got out for 110 and left the game hanging in the balance.
“This is not a great Test wicket. Unless this flattens out on days two, three, and four, if we get there, then that was too heavily weighted in the bowlers’ favour. The bowlers did not have to work that hard for wickets," Cook was quoted as saying on TNT Sports.
Ben Stokes won an important toss on a green-tinged pitch and invited the host to bat first. In overcast conditions, England's fast bowlers rattled Australia's batting lineup.
“Could both sides have batted slightly better? Yes, but if you put the ball in the right area, it was going to nip either way. It was a bit of an unfair contest," he concluded.