India, Dec. 28 -- England captain Ben Stokes on Saturday came down heavily on the overwhelmingly bowler-friendly Melbourne pitch on which 20 wickets fell on Day 1 of the just-concluded Boxing Day Test, saying such a track elsewhere in the world would have invoked a barrage of criticism.

Stokes' one-time team-mate Kevin Pietersen and former India cricketer Dinesh Kartik too joined him in slamming the MCG pitch, and highlighted the selective criticism of Indian decks when spinners get wickets in a heap there. Stokes said it was not a pitch that suited the Boxing Day Test, even though his side won the match by four wickets.

"Being brutally honest, that's not really what you want. Boxing Day Test match. You don't want a game finishing in le...