FACTS Opened 1854 Capacity 100000 (approx, including standing room) Known as The MCG, The "G" Dimensions 172.90m long, 147.80m wide Location Melbourne, Australia Floodlights Yes Curator Tony Ware Venue Description The Melbourne Cricket Club, founded in 1838 was forced to move several sites, before it could finally choose the current location, in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, to build the epic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) stadium in 1853. The MCG, currently is the largest cricket stadium on earth and it is also the 11th largest stadium in the world. Cricket, Rugby and Australian Rules Football are the major sporting events held regularly at the MCG, while it has also played host to the 1956 Summer Olympics, the 2006 Commonwealth Games and a few of the FIFA World Cup qualifier games.
The MCG gave birth to the Test match format on March 15, 1877, when Australia and England took on each other in a timeless match. Since then, the ground has been center-stage to over 100 Test matches, including the famous Boxing Day Test match, that is held every year on December 26. Interestingly, cricket's first ODI match was also held at the MCG.
The first scoreboard at the MCG was built in 1882. Since then, it has taken many forms and is currently the best and the largest scoreboard available in Australia - state-of-the-art LED-high-definition screen which is 25.24 metres wide and 13.17 metres high. The current facility enables one to see both, batting and bowling cards on one screen. Also, it was at the MCG that Australia's first full colour video scoreboard was put in place. The world's first all-colour cricket scoreboard with instant replays was installed at the MCG.
How does the pitch play?
The 22-yards at the MCG is considered to be one of the most competitive surfaces in the world. It offers a fine balance between bat and ball. While the bowlers get some assistance early on with mostly genuine bounce, as it gets old, the batsmen can play their strokes freely. However, generally, the spinners do not get much of a purchase at the MCG.
Since 1996, MCG has been host to the drop-in pitches.
What is a drop-in pitch?
A drop-in pitch is a cricket pitch which is prepared away from the ground or venue in which it is used, and literally "dropped in" to place for a cricket match. This allows multi-purpose venues to host other sports and events with more versatility than a dedicated cricket ground would allow.
Trivia
The infamous incident of Greg Chappell, Australia's captain, asking Trevor Chappell to under-arm the final delivery of the match, when New Zealand needed a six off the last ball to the tie the ODI, took place at the MCG on February 1, 1981. Although it was not against the laws, the incident was considered as 'against the spirit of the game.'
Stats - ODI
Total matches 148 Matches won batting first 72 Matches won bowling first 72 Average 1st Inns scores 222 Average 2nd Inns scores 196 Highest total recorded 344/8 (50 Ov) by ICCWXI vs AsiaXI Lowest total recorded 94/10 (31.7 Ov) by Eng vs AUS Highest score chased 308/5 (48.5 Ov) by Eng vs AUS Lowest score defended 173/9 (50 Ov) by AUS vs WI Stats - TEST
Total matches 110 Matches won batting first 54 Matches won bowling first 39 Average 1st Inns scores 309 Average 2nd Inns scores 314 Average 3rd Inns scores 256 Average 4th Inns scores 171 Highest total recorded 624/8 (142 Ov) by AUS vs PAK Lowest total recorded 36/10 (23.2 Ov) by RSA vs AUS Stats- T20I
Total matches 11 Matches won batting first 5 Matches won bowling first 6 Average 1st Inns scores 140 Average 2nd Inns scores 129 Highest total recorded 184/3 (20 Ov) by IND vs AUS Lowest total recorded 74/10 (17.3 Ov) by IND vs AUS Highest score chased 172/5 (20 Ov) by SL vs AUS Lowest score defended 127/10 (18.4 Ov) by AUS vs PAK
