Record crowd, 20 wickets and Australia on top
Day 1 of the Boxing Day Ashes 4th Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground produced a dramatic 20-wicket collapse as Australia took a 46-run lead despite being bowled out for just 152 in their first innings.
In reply, England folded for 110, leaving the hosts 4/0 at stumps and firmly ahead in front of a record 94,199 spectators, the highest-ever cricket crowd at the MCG and the biggest single day of Test cricket at the venue.
Australia have already sealed the five-match Ashes series with a 3-0 lead, but the Boxing Day Ashes 4th Test has still turned into a high-voltage contest due to the extraordinary movement on a green MCG surface and the pressure on England to avoid a 5-0 whitewash.
Australia 152 all out as Tongue makes history
Sent in to bat after England won the toss, Australia were skittled for 152 in 45.2 overs, undone by relentless seam bowling led by Josh Tongue.
Tongue claimed stunning figures of 5/45, becoming the first England bowler this century to take a five-wicket haul in a men’s Test at the MCG and ending a 27-year drought since Darren Gough and Dean Headley achieved the feat in 1998.
For Australia, Michael Neser top-scored with 35, while Usman Khawaja made 29 and Alex Carey added 20 as the hosts recovered briefly from 6/91 before losing their last three wickets without adding a run.
England’s attack backed Tongue well, with Gus Atkinson striking twice and captain Ben Stokes and Brydon Carse sharing the remaining wickets to keep Australia to a modest total on a pitch offering sharp seam and swing.
England shot out for 110 as Neser, Boland and Starc strike
If Australia’s 152 looked under-par at lunch, England’s reply made it appear imposing as the visitors crashed to 16/4, exposing familiar batting frailties that have haunted their Ashes tour.
Harry Brook’s counter-attacking 41 was the only substantial resistance as wickets kept tumbling at the other end and England were bundled out for 110 in 29.5 overs.
Michael Neser completed a superb all-round day with 4/45, Scott Boland struck with 3/30 and Mitchell Starc chipped in with 2/23 to dismantle England’s line-up.
Top-order batters Ben Duckett (2), Zak Crawley (5), Jacob Bethell (1) and Joe Root (0) all fell cheaply, with England’s hopes fading rapidly despite the advantage created by Tongue’s historic spell earlier in the day.
Boland as nightwatchman, Smith’s rare failure and Ashes context
In a quirky end to a chaotic day, Scott Boland walked out as nightwatchman to open for Australia, surviving the lone over before stumps and stretching the Boxing Day Ashes 4th Test lead to 46 at 4/0.
Earlier, Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith, leading the side in the absence of injured regular skipper Pat Cummins and senior spinner Nathan Lyon, was bowled through the gate by a Tongue delivery that uprooted his middle stump, departing for a single-digit score.
With Australia already 3-0 up and the urn secure, the narrative around this Boxing Day Ashes 4th Test has shifted to whether England can salvage pride and avoid a 5-0 sweep, while Australia eye a psychological and World Test Championship boost.
The manic opening day, record MCG crowd and extreme bowler-friendly conditions have ensured this Test remains a marquee event on the cricket calendar, underlining why Boxing Day at Melbourne continues to be one of the sport’s most iconic fixtures.
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