Melbourne · Australia · 2002–2025
Melbourne Cricket Ground: Conditions, Records and Match Stats
At a glance
Matches
155
All formats
Par score
205
1st-innings average
Chase success
58%
Chaser edge
Bat-first win
41%
Long-sample record
Pitch & conditions
The patterns we see repeat across the matches on record — what works at MCG, and what captains should plan for.
Teams batting second have won 56% of completed matches at the MCG across 153 games, suggesting the ground may favour sides with the scorecard in front of them. Captains appear to have picked up on this: 55% of toss-winners have chosen to field first. The advantage is real but marginal, and conditions on the day still play a significant role.
The average powerplay produces 34 runs and just 1.14 wickets across all formats, pointing to an opening phase that rewards patience and rewards disciplined seam bowling. Openers who try to go hard from ball one at the MCG have historically found the conditions less forgiving than at more batting-friendly Australian venues.
An average of 134 runs come in the middle overs, far outpacing the powerplay (34) and death overs (31). Batting sides that build through the middle phase tend to post competitive totals, and bowling attacks that maintain pressure through overs 7 to 16 can significantly restrict first-innings scores.
An average of just 31 runs in the death overs is low for a major international ground, and could reflect both the MCG's wide outfield making boundary-hitting harder and the quality of death bowling seen across Test and white-ball cricket here. Finishers who rely on power hitting over placement may find the ground less accommodating.
Australia Cricket have played 73 matches at the MCG and won 49 of them, a win rate of 71%. No visiting side comes close to matching that record. England, by contrast, have managed just 5 wins from 20 appearances, a win rate of 26%.
By the numbers
Career aggregates from the matches LuckySpire tracks at MCG. Drawn from Cricsheet ball-by-ball data under ODC-BY licence.
Avg 1st inn
205
T20-era par
Avg 2nd inn
190
Chasing average
Chase success
58%
All formats
Highest total
624
On record
Lowest total
68
Complete innings
Phase-by-phase · scoring trajectory
Cumulative scoring trajectory across a typical white-ball innings at MCG. Phase bands show Powerplay (overs 1–6), Middle (7–15) and Death (16–20) — the death-overs acceleration is where the ground's character shows up most sharply.
Powerplay
38RPO · OVERS 1–6
Middle
125RPO · OVERS 7–15
Death
42RPO · OVERS 16–20
Who plays here
Match counts and win records for the teams with the deepest history at this ground.
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | NR | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Cricket | 73 | 49 | 20 | 4 | 67% |
| Melbourne Stars | 69 | 36 | 32 | 0 | 52% |
| India Cricket | 22 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 45% |
| England Cricket | 20 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 25% |
| Hobart Hurricanes | 16 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 31% |
| Melbourne Renegades | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 44% |
| Sri Lanka Cricket | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 54% |
| Sydney Sixers | 13 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 62% |
Similar grounds
High-scoring road · 162 matches
High-scoring road · 149 matches
High-scoring road · 129 matches
High-scoring road · slight chase bias · 155 matches
Batting-friendly · defending advantage · 153 matches