Jackson Barrett: Another two-day Test is a disaster cricket bosses can not afford in an Ashes series again

Last year’s Boxing Day Test was a thing of sporting beauty. It had turns, twists, roundabouts and swings, the world’s best bowler and the world’s best batters of the past decade going toe-to-toe in a contest that ended in chaos — and in front of an historic crowd — at the end of the fifth day. Chaos reigned in this year’s edition, but was it beautiful? Hardly. A second two-day match in the one series is a disaster for Cricket Australia’s coffers, but it’s also leaving cricket fans short-changed. The Ashes were won in 11 days, now the score is 3-1 after 13 and the entire series will come in under 18. It was billed as 25 days of pulsating cricket. There’s a certain historic novelty to a good batting collapse or a match that’s sent into overdrive. It captures eyes and minds while it happens. But Australian cricket has just seen too many of them now and it’s not showcasing some of the game’s great artists. That’s because not only was fluent batting bordering on impossible, there was as much dumb luck as skill involved in the taking of the 36 wickets. It’s why — for the first time on the tour — England’s BazBall antics really were the way to go. Harry Brook didn’t quite get them out of the jam he tried to on the first day following the approach, but Ben Duckett and then Zak Crawley and Jacob Bethell did on day two. Get them before you’re got. In the blink of an eye they were on 34 off their first five overs. Then 45 off six. They needed less than 100 by the time tea was called and after a couple of lucky breaks, they were into triple figures. What it did was make Australia bowl more good balls. Two-day Tests are a horror-show for the game’s bosses and Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg admitted as much. Last year’s five-day epic — where 80,000 people were at the MCG for the final session — was just about the biggest boon that business has ever seen. But for business, and its status as the sport’s greatest rivalry, The Ashes can scarcely afford more series like this one. And as if these final two rubbers weren’t dead enough, even a whitewash is off the table. There’s never been a build-up to a contest like this summer’s, but for entertainment value, series against India have it well covered.