The MCG’s head curator Matt Page left 10mm of grass on the pitch to counter hot conditions forecast later in the match but this has been given as a reason for the lively conditions.
Page said he was in a “state of shock” during the match, which England won by four wickets. Travis Head’s 46 in Australia’s second innings was the highest score.
The Boxing Day Test was the second two-day affair of this Ashes series but the surface for the other, the first Test in Perth, was rated as “very good” suggesting batter error was more to blame there.
“Unsatisfactory” is the ICC’s second lowest ranking for a pitch.
Though this is the first time an Australian strip has been rated substandard under the current system, there has been trouble with the MCG pitch before.
In the drawn match of 2017, the surface did not offer enough assistance for the bowlers, resulting in a dull contest in which only 24 wickets fell. That was rated as “poor”.
A year later, the pitch used for a win for India was rated as “average”.
Speaking before the ICC’s announcement, Australia coach Andrew McDonald defended Page, suggesting this year’s pitch should be viewed in the context of trying to improve from 2017.
“He does an outstanding job,” said McDonald.
“The perspective that I always use is that we [Australia] have bad Test matches as well. We had a bad Test match the first Test match last summer.
“Sometimes these things can happen, but we support him in what he’s done and are really proud of the evolution of the MCG.
“Hopefully people can have some context around where he’s been on the journey and support him for the next challenge that he faces.”