Melbourne Cricket Ground Pitch Report, Records and Stats
Covers 88 international matches at this ground from Dec 2002 to Dec 2025.
Our Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch report rests on 88 internationals from Dec 2002 to Dec 2025, plus 75 BBL games. The men’s tally splits into 38 ODIs, 22 Tests and 20 T20Is; women have added 8 more fixtures.
Australia have played 73 men’s games at the MCG and won 49. The latest, though, went to England, who won the Dec 2025 Test by 4 wickets in a match where neither side reached 150 in an innings.
MCG Pitch Report: Chasing Has the Edge
Chasing has had the better of limited-overs cricket at the MCG. In men’s ODIs the chasing side is ahead, 20 wins to 17. Openers post 258 on average and the reply comes to 231, a narrow gap, and targets up to 308 have been reached.
Men’s T20Is lean even further towards the chase, 12 wins to 7. This is a low-scoring T20I venue, with 144 the mean for the team going first and 135 for the team going second, and 172 the largest winning pursuit.
Test cricket here splits into two halves. Each side’s first innings brings around 335 to 338, then the second time round sides manage 217 and finally 192. The best fourth-innings pursuit is 231. Captains lean towards batting, 52 times against 36, and toss winners took 45 of 84 results.
Melbourne Cricket Ground capacity and location
Capacity as published on the ground's Wikipedia page (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Cricket_Ground). Figures change with redevelopment and temporary stands.
Ground
City
Country
Capacity
Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
Melbourne
Australia
100,024
Melbourne Cricket Ground cricket stats by format
Format
Matches
Won batting first
Won chasing
Avg 1st inns
First match
Latest match
Tests
22
–
–
–
26 Dec 2002
26 Dec 2025
Tests (women)
1
–
–
–
30 Jan 2025
30 Jan 2025
ODIs
38
17
20
258
21 Jan 2003
4 Nov 2024
ODIs (women)
2
1
1
238
19 Jan 2014
23 Jan 2014
T20Is
20
7
12
144
1 Feb 2008
31 Oct 2025
T20Is (women)
5
2
3
141
31 Jan 2014
8 Mar 2020
Melbourne Cricket Ground Pitch Report: Average Scores and Chasing
Matches with a result decided by DLS are left out of this table. The last column shows the most recent ten first innings where there are enough matches.
Format
Matches
Avg 1st inns
Avg 2nd inns
Highest chased
Lowest defended
Avg 1st inns, last 10
ODIs
34
259
231
308
221
256
ODIs (women)
2
238
225
210
266
–
T20Is
17
143
135
172
127
153
T20Is (women)
4
146
115
150
151
–
MCG Test Pitch: Average Score by Innings
Format
Tests
1st inns
2nd inns
3rd inns
4th inns
Highest 4th-inns chase
Tests
22
335
338
217
192
231
Tests (women)
1
170
440
148
–
–
Melbourne Cricket Ground Tests records
Tests in this record book: 22, from Dec 2002 to Dec 2025.
Most Test Runs at the MCG
Batter
M
Inns
Runs
HS
Avg
SR
100s
50s
SPD Smith Australia
13
22
1,279
192
75.24
52.06
5
5
DA Warner Australia
11
18
912
200
50.67
69.57
3
2
ML Hayden Australia
5
9
660
153
73.33
59.09
4
1
RT Ponting Australia
8
15
614
117
40.93
60.61
2
4
UT Khawaja Australia
8
14
529
144
37.79
54.15
1
3
SR Watson Australia
5
9
517
120*
73.86
54.36
1
5
MJ Clarke Australia
8
14
467
106
42.45
45.69
1
2
AN Cook England
4
6
435
244*
87.00
57.62
1
2
MEK Hussey Australia
8
14
416
122
29.71
52.99
1
2
TM Head Australia
8
14
405
114
28.93
50.00
1
1
Most wickets
Bowler
M
Inns
Wkts
Best
Avg
Econ
5w
NM Lyon Australia
14
26
50
5/50
31.58
3.16
1
PJ Cummins Australia
8
15
41
6/27
17.37
2.53
4
MG Johnson Australia
7
13
32
5/63
23.91
3.01
1
MA Starc Australia
9
18
30
4/36
31.43
3.40
0
PM Siddle Australia
7
13
26
6/75
24.50
2.81
1
JJ Bumrah India
3
6
24
6/33
14.67
2.68
2
SM Boland Australia
4
8
21
6/7
13.95
2.74
1
JL Pattinson Australia
3
6
18
4/53
16.56
2.85
0
B Lee Australia
5
10
18
4/46
31.17
3.27
0
JM Anderson England
4
7
17
4/33
20.47
2.33
0
Melbourne Cricket Ground Highest Score in Tests
Batter
Score
Balls
4s
6s
Against
Date
JL Langer Australia
250
407
30
1
England
26 Dec 2002
AN Cook England
244*
409
27
0
Australia
26 Dec 2017
Azhar Ali Pakistan
205*
364
20
0
Australia
26 Dec 2016
DA Warner Australia
200
255
19
2
South Africa
26 Dec 2022
SPD Smith Australia
192
305
17
2
India
26 Dec 2014
Best bowling figures
Bowler
Figures
Overs
Against
Date
SM Boland Australia
6/7
4
England
26 Dec 2021
PJ Cummins Australia
6/27
11
India
26 Dec 2018
JJ Bumrah India
6/33
15.5
Australia
26 Dec 2018
PM Siddle Australia
6/75
33.1
England
26 Dec 2010
C Green Australia
5/27
10.4
South Africa
26 Dec 2022
Highest totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
Australia
624/8
142
Pakistan
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
26 Dec 2016
Australia
575/8
145
South Africa
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
26 Dec 2022
Australia
551/6
146.1
England
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
26 Dec 2002
Australia
551/3
135
West Indies
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
26 Dec 2015
Australia
530
142.3
India
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
26 Dec 2014
Lowest all-out totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
England
68
27.4
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
26 Dec 2021
Australia
98
42.5
England
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
26 Dec 2010
England
110
29.5
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
26 Dec 2025
Australia
132
34.3
England
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
26 Dec 2025
New Zealand
148
54.5
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
26 Dec 2019
Melbourne Cricket Ground ODIs records
ODIs in this record book: 38, from Jan 2003 to Nov 2024.
Most runs
Batter
M
Inns
Runs
HS
Avg
SR
100s
50s
RT Ponting Australia
16
16
699
106*
49.93
87.05
2
4
MJ Clarke Australia
18
18
615
98
36.18
75.09
0
5
AJ Finch Australia
11
11
536
135
48.73
84.81
3
1
SPD Smith Australia
13
13
497
104
45.18
86.43
1
3
DA Warner Australia
12
12
454
156
37.83
100.00
2
1
MEK Hussey Australia
12
12
434
75
48.22
77.64
0
4
ML Hayden Australia
10
10
428
82
47.56
72.91
0
4
SR Watson Australia
13
13
421
161*
38.27
89.77
1
3
RG Sharma India
7
7
350
138
58.33
91.86
2
0
AC Gilchrist Australia
11
11
331
83
30.09
105.41
0
2
Most wickets
Bowler
M
Inns
Wkts
Best
Avg
Econ
5w
MA Starc Australia
10
10
24
6/43
16.29
4.39
1
B Lee Australia
8
8
20
5/30
16.95
4.43
1
MG Johnson Australia
13
13
20
3/30
26.60
4.64
0
CJ McKay Australia
6
6
15
4/20
14.87
4.69
0
NW Bracken Australia
8
8
13
4/29
21.31
3.87
0
JP Faulkner Australia
8
8
13
3/36
29.46
5.11
0
SL Malinga Sri Lanka
6
6
11
4/49
25.09
4.76
0
PJ Cummins Australia
7
7
10
2/25
31.40
5.16
0
UT Yadav India
4
4
8
4/31
23.50
5.40
0
XJ Doherty Australia
7
7
8
4/46
35.75
5.11
0
Highest individual scores
Batter
Score
Balls
4s
6s
Against
Date
JJ Roy England
180
151
16
5
Australia
14 Jan 2018
TM Dilshan Sri Lanka
161*
146
22
0
Bangladesh
26 Feb 2015
SR Watson Australia
161*
150
12
4
England
16 Jan 2011
DA Warner Australia
156
128
13
4
New Zealand
9 Dec 2016
TM Head Australia
152
130
16
4
England
22 Nov 2022
Best bowling figures
Bowler
Figures
Overs
Against
Date
AB Agarkar India
6/42
9.3
Australia
9 Jan 2004
YS Chahal India
6/42
10
Australia
18 Jan 2019
MA Starc Australia
6/43
10
India
18 Jan 2015
B Lee Australia
5/30
9.3
England
25 Jan 2003
DT Christian Australia
5/31
9
Sri Lanka
2 Mar 2012
MCG Highest Score in ODIs
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
Australia
355/5
48
England
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
22 Nov 2022
Australia
342/9
50
England
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
14 Feb 2015
Sri Lanka
332/1
50
Bangladesh
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
26 Feb 2015
Australia
324/5
50
West Indies
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
19 Feb 2010
England
308/5
48.5
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
14 Jan 2018
Lowest all-out totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
England
142
31.4
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
22 Nov 2022
West Indies
143
34.2
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
7 Feb 2010
New Zealand
147
36.1
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
9 Dec 2016
India
151
29.4
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
5 Feb 2012
Australia
159
43.1
India
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
10 Feb 2008
Melbourne Cricket Ground T20Is records
T20Is in this record book: 20, from Feb 2008 to Oct 2025.
Most runs
Batter
M
Inns
Runs
HS
Avg
SR
100s
50s
AJ Finch Australia
12
12
334
74
37.11
143.35
0
2
DA Warner Australia
7
7
217
89
36.17
143.71
0
2
V Kohli India
4
4
198
82*
99.00
146.67
0
2
GJ Maxwell Australia
8
8
146
48*
24.33
121.67
0
0
JP Duminy South Africa
2
2
127
78
63.50
128.28
0
1
BKG Mendis Sri Lanka
3
3
109
69*
54.50
112.37
0
1
GJ Bailey Australia
3
3
108
60*
54.00
158.82
0
1
JC Buttler England
4
4
94
46
23.50
98.95
0
0
MS Wade Australia
3
3
91
43*
91.00
128.17
0
0
DJ Hussey Australia
4
4
91
40*
30.33
103.41
0
0
Most wickets
Bowler
M
Inns
Wkts
Best
Avg
Econ
5w
KW Richardson Australia
4
4
9
3/33
14.44
8.30
0
JR Hazlewood Australia
2
2
7
4/30
6.14
5.38
0
HH Pandya India
3
3
6
3/30
10.50
7.00
0
SW Tait Australia
3
3
6
3/13
14.67
7.33
0
NW Bracken Australia
2
2
5
3/11
5.80
5.27
0
SM Curran England
2
2
5
3/12
8.60
6.14
0
JJ Bumrah India
3
3
5
2/26
16.60
6.92
0
CBRLS Kumara Sri Lanka
3
3
5
2/22
21.00
8.75
0
Arshdeep Singh India
2
2
4
3/32
10.25
6.83
0
CJ Jordan England
2
2
4
2/26
13.25
7.57
0
Highest individual scores
Batter
Score
Balls
4s
6s
Against
Date
DA Warner Australia
89
43
7
6
South Africa
11 Jan 2009
V Kohli India
82*
53
6
4
Pakistan
23 Oct 2022
JP Duminy South Africa
78
48
9
1
Australia
11 Jan 2009
AJ Finch Australia
74
48
8
2
India
29 Jan 2016
BKG Mendis Sri Lanka
69*
58
5
1
Australia
20 Feb 2022
Best bowling figures
Bowler
Figures
Overs
Against
Date
JR Hazlewood Australia
4/30
4
England
31 Jan 2014
NW Bracken Australia
3/11
2.3
India
1 Feb 2008
SM Curran England
3/12
4
Pakistan
13 Nov 2022
SW Tait Australia
3/13
4
Pakistan
5 Feb 2010
JR Hazlewood Australia
3/13
4
India
31 Oct 2025
Highest T20I Totals at the MCG
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
India
186/5
20
Zimbabwe
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
6 Nov 2022
India
184/3
20
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
29 Jan 2016
Australia
182/9
20
South Africa
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
11 Jan 2009
Sri Lanka
172/5
20
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
17 Feb 2017
Australia
168/6
20
Sri Lanka
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
17 Feb 2017
Lowest all-out totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
India
74
17.3
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
1 Feb 2008
Zimbabwe
115
17.2
India
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
6 Nov 2022
India
125
18.4
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
31 Oct 2025
Australia
127
18.4
Pakistan
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
5 Feb 2010
South Africa
130
18
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
11 Jan 2009
Melbourne Cricket Ground T20Is (women) records
T20Is in this record book: 5, from Jan 2014 to Mar 2020.
Most runs
Batter
M
Inns
Runs
HS
Avg
SR
100s
50s
MM Lanning Australia
5
5
218
60
43.60
128.99
0
2
AJ Healy Australia
4
4
138
75
69.00
143.75
0
1
EJ Villani Australia
3
3
117
73*
58.50
128.57
0
1
BL Mooney Australia
3
3
89
78*
44.50
114.10
0
1
SR Taylor West Indies
1
1
78
78
78.00
134.48
0
1
Most wickets
Bowler
M
Inns
Wkts
Best
Avg
Econ
5w
ML Schutt Australia
2
2
5
4/18
7.00
4.88
0
JL Jonassen Australia
5
5
5
3/20
16.60
4.88
0
A Wellington Australia
1
1
3
3/15
5.00
3.75
0
KM Beams Australia
2
2
3
2/24
14.33
6.14
0
RM Farrell Australia
3
3
3
2/31
21.67
6.50
0
Highest individual scores
Batter
Score
Balls
4s
6s
Against
Date
BL Mooney Australia
78*
54
10
0
India
8 Mar 2020
SR Taylor West Indies
78
58
11
1
Australia
7 Nov 2014
AJ Healy Australia
75
39
7
5
India
8 Mar 2020
EJ Villani Australia
73*
47
5
1
New Zealand
17 Feb 2017
MM Lanning Australia
60
52
8
0
New Zealand
17 Feb 2017
Best bowling figures
Bowler
Figures
Overs
Against
Date
ML Schutt Australia
4/18
3.1
India
8 Mar 2020
A Wellington Australia
3/15
4
New Zealand
17 Feb 2017
JL Jonassen Australia
3/20
4
India
8 Mar 2020
HL Ferling Australia
2/14
3
England
31 Jan 2014
J Goswami India
2/16
4
Australia
29 Jan 2016
Highest totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
Australia
184/4
20
India
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
8 Mar 2020
Australia
151/4
20
New Zealand
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
17 Feb 2017
Australia
150/6
19.5
West Indies
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
7 Nov 2014
West Indies
149/6
20
Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
7 Nov 2014
Australia
125/8
18
India
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
29 Jan 2016
Melbourne Cricket Ground BBL records
BBL matches at this ground: 75, from Dec 2011 to Jan 2026.
MCG BBL Pitch Report
Matches
Avg 1st inns
Avg 2nd inns
Won batting first
Won chasing
Highest chased
Lowest defended
Avg 1st inns, last 10
75
157
144
28
45
186
134
159
Most BBL runs at Melbourne Cricket Ground
Batter
M
Inns
Runs
HS
Avg
SR
100s
50s
GJ Maxwell Melbourne Stars
43
43
1,338
154*
41.81
158.72
2
8
MP Stoinis Melbourne Stars
47
47
1,317
147*
36.58
134.66
1
7
LJ Wright Melbourne Stars
27
27
711
109*
30.91
125.40
1
5
HWR Cartwright MS/PS
28
28
641
59
40.06
134.10
0
2
NCR Larkin Melbourne Stars
21
21
490
83*
32.67
126.29
0
4
MS Wade HH/MS
17
17
481
86
32.07
131.42
0
4
KP Pietersen Melbourne Stars
18
18
477
74
26.50
132.50
0
3
BR Dunk MS/HH
17
17
423
62
26.44
119.15
0
1
Most BBL wickets at Melbourne Cricket Ground
Bowler
M
Inns
Wkts
Best
Avg
Econ
5w
A Zampa MS/MR
34
34
48
5/17
18.19
6.81
1
MP Stoinis Melbourne Stars
30
30
26
4/21
21.35
7.78
0
JW Hastings Melbourne Stars
18
18
24
4/29
20.00
7.29
0
SM Boland MS/HH
17
17
24
4/30
22.00
8.10
0
NM Coulter-Nile MS/PS
21
21
24
3/17
23.58
7.35
0
JP Faulkner MS/HH
19
19
23
3/9
17.26
7.01
0
PM Siddle MS/AS
13
13
20
4/32
17.30
8.27
0
SA Abbott SS/ST
13
13
19
3/23
20.21
8.17
0
Highest BBL Score at the MCG
Batter
Score
Balls
4s
6s
Against
Date
GJ Maxwell Melbourne Stars
154*
64
22
4
Hobart Hurricanes
19 Jan 2022
MP Stoinis Melbourne Stars
147*
79
13
8
Sydney Sixers
12 Jan 2020
LJ Wright Melbourne Stars
109*
63
11
4
Melbourne Renegades
2 Jan 2016
GJ Maxwell Melbourne Stars
103
57
12
3
Sydney Sixers
15 Dec 2021
PSP Handscomb Melbourne Stars
103*
64
6
5
Perth Scorchers
21 Jan 2015
Highest BBL totals at Melbourne Cricket Ground
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
Melbourne Stars
273/2
20
Hobart Hurricanes
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
19 Jan 2022
Melbourne Stars
219/1
20
Sydney Sixers
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
12 Jan 2020
Melbourne Stars
219/5
20
Hobart Hurricanes
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
19 Jan 2025
Melbourne Stars
208/7
20
Melbourne Renegades
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
20 Dec 2013
Melbourne Stars
194/2
20
Sydney Thunder
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
6 Feb 2020
Team results at Melbourne Cricket Ground (men, all formats)
Team
Matches
Won
Lost
Drawn
Tied/NR
Australia
73
49
20
2
2
India
22
10
10
1
1
England
20
5
14
1
0
Sri Lanka
13
7
6
0
0
Pakistan
9
1
8
0
0
South Africa
8
2
6
0
0
New Zealand
5
1
4
0
0
West Indies
5
0
5
0
0
Bangladesh
2
0
2
0
0
Zimbabwe
2
0
1
0
1
Latest matches at Melbourne Cricket Ground
Match
Date
Venue
Result
Australia v England
26 Dec 2025
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
England won by 4 wickets
India v Australia
31 Oct 2025
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Australia won by 4 wickets
England v Australia
30 Jan 2025
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Australia won by an innings and 122 runs
Australia v India
26 Dec 2024
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Australia won by 184 runs
Pakistan v Australia
4 Nov 2024
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Australia won by 2 wickets
West Indies v Australia
2 Feb 2024
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Australia won by 8 wickets
Australia v Pakistan
26 Dec 2023
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Australia won by 79 runs
South Africa v Australia
26 Dec 2022
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Australia won by an innings and 182 runs
Australia v England
22 Nov 2022
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Australia won by 221 runs (DLS)
Pakistan v England
13 Nov 2022
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
England won by 5 wickets
MCG Run Scorers, Wicket Takers and Team Records
No one has more MCG Test runs than Steve Smith (Australia): 1,279 at 75.24, including 5 centuries. The highest Test score is Justin Langer’s 250 for Australia against England in Dec 2002, and Australia’s 624/8 against Pakistan in Dec 2016 is the top Test total. Nathan Lyon (Australia) owns the wicket record with 50.
Ricky Ponting (Australia) tops the ODI runs with 699, and Jason Roy’s 180 for England in Jan 2018 is the best ODI score.
The first Big Bash match here was played on 17 Dec 2011. After 75 games, the newest on 13 Jan 2026, the pattern is plain: the chase has won 45 times, the side batting first 28. Opening totals average 157, second innings 144. Nobody has chased down more than 186, and 134 is the lowest score successfully protected.
The lists belong to Melbourne Stars. Glenn Maxwell has 1,338 runs and 9 match awards, and his 154* off 64 balls lifted the Stars to 273/2 in Jan 2022 when Hobart Hurricanes were the visitors, the top BBL total here. Adam Zampa leads the wickets with 48, taken for the Stars and the Renegades, while TS Rogers’ 5/16 for Melbourne Renegades against the Stars is the best return. See Melbourne Stars BBL records and the BBL records.
Questions about Melbourne Cricket Ground
Is the Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch good for batting or bowling?
Depends on the format. One-day batters do fairly well, with 258 a typical opening total, but T20I totals are modest at 144 and 135. Test bowlers come into the game late, as 4th-innings sides average 192 and rarely get close.
What is the highest score at the Melbourne Cricket Ground?
Australia made 624/8 against Pakistan in Dec 2016, the biggest team score, while Justin Langer’s 250 against England in Dec 2002 tops the batting. Jason Roy’s 180 is the best ODI innings.
Should a side bat first or chase at the MCG?
Chase, on the evidence. The second-innings side won 20 of 37 men’s ODIs with a result, 12 of 19 such T20Is and 45 BBL games to 28.
Who has the highest BBL score at the MCG?
Glenn Maxwell, with 154* off 64 balls for Melbourne Stars in Jan 2022. The Stars reached 273/2 that night, still the biggest BBL total at the ground.
What is the seating capacity of Melbourne Cricket Ground?
Melbourne Cricket Ground holds about 100,024 spectators, going by its published capacity. Capacity can change after redevelopment or when temporary stands are added for big events.