England completed a four-wicket win late on day two for their first test victory in the country in 15 years but skipper Ben Stokes was scathing of the surface, even after his batters chased down 175 runs for victory.
Stokes told reporters his feedback to the match referee would not be the best for a pitch that had a centimetre of grass left by the curator on the morning of day one.
"When you go out there and you're faced with conditions, you've got to crack on and deal with it," Stokes told reporters.
"But being brutally honest, that's not really what you want. Boxing Day test match, you don't want a game finishing in less than two days. Not ideal."
England were bowled out for 110 in reply to Australia's first innings 152 on day one, with poor shot-making only a small part of the overall story.
Australia were skittled for 132 in their second innings in the middle session on day two before England finished victorious on 178 for six.
Test matches last up to five days, with most finishing within four. But two-day tests are very much a rarity.
Last year's Melbourne test between Australia and India had about 7mm of grass left on the wicket initially and lasted deep into day five.
Staff left 10mm for the fourth Ashes test due to cooler and wetter weather in the lead-up.
Host board Cricket Australia (CA) were left millions of dollars out of pocket, having to refund tickets for a confirmed sell-out crowd on day three at the 100,000-seat stadium in Melbourne and for another large crowd for day four.
It was already counting the cost of the first test in Perth which also finished in two days. Local media reported the short test cost CA about $A5 million ($NZ5.74 million) in forgone revenue.
Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith offered a lukewarm defence of MCG curator Matt Page, saying it was a delicate balance for ground staff to strike.
"In terms of the wicket, it was obviously a tricky one," Smith told reporters.
"Thirty-six wickets over two days (it) probably offered just a little bit too much.
"Obviously finances aren't great. I think it was a sell-out tomorrow if we got there. So, yeah, disappointing for those (fans) that wanted to come along."
Curator 'shocked'
Meanwhile, Page said he was in a "state of shock" as wickets tumbled in the two-day match in Melbourne.
"I've never been involved in a test match like it and hopefully never involved in a test match like that again. It was a rollercoaster ride for two days to see everything unfold."
Page said the pitch needed to provide some movement of the ball off the seam to give bowlers encouragement and avoid dull, batting-dominated matches like the panned 2017 Ashes test in Melbourne which produced a draw and a big double-century for England's Alastair Cook.
"We don't get deterioration in our pitches and we're trying to balance that contest between bat and ball throughout four or five days to provide that captivating test for all," Page added.
"We’ve gone too far with this one and we’re very, very disappointed it's only gone two days."
The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), which owns and operates the MCG, were also left short-changed by the two-day test.
The International Cricket Council's match referee has yet to deliver its verdict on the pitch but MCC chief executive Stuart Fox stood by Page, who has worked at the stadium for eight years.
"We brought Matt on eight years ago because he’s considered one of the best in the country, if not the best," Fox told reporters.
"I still believe that and I always will. When you believe in your people, you get behind them and support them. I know he’ll respond and the team will."
