Australia’s bowling attack was always going to be less daunting without Mitchell Starc but it really didn’t need to be further dulled by a flat MCG wicket.
With Starc looking on with a bruised heal, replacement Jackson Bird struggled with figures of 0-108 as England finished day three at 9-491 with a 164-run lead.
With chances of a 5-0 whitewash all but dashed, coach Darren Lehmann bemoaned the state of the maligned pitch.
“(Starc’s) always difficult to replace … (but) we would’ve liked a bit more bounce in the track if I’m perfectly honest – I think both sides would’ve,” Lehmann said.
“Jimmy (Anderson) said the same thing.
“The wicket doesn’t break up here so it’s going to be good for five days.
“You’d like a bit more bounce and pace in a lot of the (pitches around the country), obviously that’s a big weapon of ours, but you’ve got to chop and change.
“But it is what it is and you just get on with it, don’t you?”
Anderson has previously criticised the lifeless pitch that he said didn’t allow for exciting cricket to be played by either team.
Bird, playing in his ninth Test and his first in 12 months, was subjected to some stinging chants from the Barmy Army as he continued to struggle.
“I thought he bowled good spells at times and then was a bit wayward at other times,” Lehmann said.
“That’s the pressure when coming back into a (team) and trying to get wickets.
“It’s always tough to get wickets on those types of tracks … you’ve got to have some air speed and control, but he’ll be better for the run.”
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