Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive, Stephen Gough, expects a record crowd for the first day of the Boxing Day Test match as the Ashes series hangs in the balance.

Adding to the intrigue are suggestions, strongly refuted by Gough, that the MCG pitch had been replaced last week in a bid to aid Australia's pace attack in the fourth Test.

After Australia's demolition of England in the third Test, Gough expected the first day crowd for the Boxing Day Test to be larger than any other in history.

Although he admitted that it was hard for him to be impartial he firmly believed that the crowd at the MCG come Sunday would topple the previous record.

"I'm fairly confident we will beat the record of 90,800 on day one," he said.

"With any prediction there are always unforeseen circumstances, but if the weather holds off I'm sure we will eclipse the 90,000 mark.

"After Australia's performance in Perth and now that the series is tied, the public's interest is at an all-time high so I can't see why we won't set a record."

Gough, like the rest of Australia's sporting fans, watched the third Test hopeful that Australia would be able to pull off a win and square the Ashes at one win a piece.

Upon witnessing Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris tear through England's top order, Gough was excited and relieved that the Boxing Day Test would still be played with the Ashes on the line.

"It was fantastic because we were thinking at one stage that it was going to be a dead rubber and that would have been particularly disappointing if England had have retained the Ashes before Boxing Day.

"It was definitely an early Christmas present. After the end of the first day when England had not lost a wicket it was not looking good in terms of us winning. So it was good to see our bowlers hit their straps and deliver not only a win but also a nice surprise for Christmas."

"If the match was a dead rubber we might have had 85,000 for the first day's play, but not the 90,000 plus that we expect now."

Gough is also confident that day two and day three will garner figures similar to the 2006-'07 Ashes series.

"I am fairly confident that day two and three will also have high attendances in light of what happened in Perth. In the past these two days have been strong for us."

"We might not get to the 80,000 we saw on day two and three during the last Ashes campaign, but that was Shane Warne's last Melbourne Test and there were a few other players retiring."

Gough also suggested that there would be several beneficiaries if the number of fans in attendance breached the 90,000 mark.

"If we get 90,000 not only will the fans be happy that they are witnessing a marquee event on Australia's sporting calendar, but Cricket Victoria, Cricket Australia and the Melbourne Cricket Club would all be happy with that result."

Several English newspapers have also reported in the past 24 hours that the Melbourne Cricket Ground curator, Cameron Hodgkins, in conjunction with Australian selectors, had switched the drop in wicket to give the Australian bowling attack a more favourable pitch.

This suggestion was made in light of the Australian fast bowler's dismantling the English batting line up in the third Test, an allegation that was hastily and firmly denied by Gough.

"The decision on the pitch was taken before the third Test, so I don't think I would read anything into that."

"It's well known in Australia that the curators in this country prepare their pitches to make a good wicket for cricket, not for the particular vagaries of each team or situation.

"Cameron had elected this pitch before the Perth Test match even started and he will prepare it on the basis that it is for a Test match, and that's the way it has been done in Australia for as long as I can remember.

"It is my understanding that the No.7 pitch was seen to be in better condition than the No.5 one. We've also had a fair bit of rain in the past fortnight and the No5 had been under the covers a fair bit after the English match."