Dec 26 (Reuters) - As 20 wickets fell ‌on the first day of the fourth Ashes test on Friday, the carnage prompted sharp ‌criticism from former England cricketers who questioned whether the pitch at the Melbourne Cricket ‌Ground offered a fair contest.

Ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan said the record crowd of 94,199 at the MCG were "royally entertained" as they watched the most wickets to fall on the first day of an Ashes test since 1909 but slammed the pitch ‍after both line-ups crumbled in spectacular fashion.