Melbourne, Dec. 21: England opener Alastair Cook on Tuesday played down a growing row over Australia’s move to change pitches for the vital Melbourne Ashes Test, saying they were simply exploiting “home advantage”.
Cook shrugged “you’d expect everyone to do it” after news that the Melbourne Cricket Ground was preparing a green pitch that will favour Australia’s pace attack and offer little turn for England spinner Graeme Swann.
“That is the beauty of home conditions, isn’t it? You can prepare a pitch to hopefully suit the home side. That is what we try and do in England in certain cases. There is no reason I would expect Australia not to do it,” ” Cook said.
British media have accused the Melbourne Cricket Ground of changing pitches.
But MCC chief executive Stephen Gough said that the decision to use the alternative pitch was made before the Perth Test started.