“I didn't sleep well last night” - Cricket Australia CEO opens up as Boxing Day Test concludes in two days

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer Todd Greenberg has revealed he didn’t sleep well after 20 wickets fell on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test in the ongoing Ashes 2025-26 series, which was retained by Australia.

Interestingly, the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was concluded in only two days after the pitch offered uneven bounce and several balls deviated sharply off the wicket. Eventually, England managed to bag a four-wicket win on Saturday, December 27.

“I didn't sleep well last night, put it that way. It was an amazing day of Test cricket, so for that record number of people who were here, boy, they've had an experience. But our challenge is to make sure we can continue those experiences day after day. That's the challenge for all of us,” Todd Greenberg told SEN Cricket.

Furthermore, the CA CEO asserted that with too many wickets falling inside two days of the game, it pushes the game towards a shorter format, which the board doesn’t wish to witness, hampering the game and the business. 

“Any time you have that many wickets falling in a Test match, it pushes the game towards a shorter format, which Cricket Australia does not wish to see, as it is detrimental to both the game and the business,” he added.

“As mesmerising and fascinating and enjoyable as it was to watch as a fan, we want Test cricket clearly to go for longer. A simple phrase I'd use is short Tests are bad for business. I can't be much more blunt than that,” he noted.

“So I would like to see a slightly broader balance between the bat and the ball. I thought yesterday slightly favoured the ball. The batters have some ownership in some of that, it's not all around the pitch, but we've got some challenges,” he concluded.

While Australia was tasked to bat first, they could post only 152 runs. In response, England posted 110 runs as Australia managed to get a 42-run lead. In the third innings, Australia went on to post 132 runs. In the chase, England finished off the game with four wickets in hand.

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