Pakistan suffered another top-order collapse in the third and final Test against England at Edgbaston on Wednesday, September 9, with the visitors reduced to 56/5 after 15.3 overs.

England won the toss and elected to bowl first, and their pace attack quickly exposed Pakistan's fragile batting order. Josh Tongue dismissed captain Babar Azam for 7, adding to wickets from Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer as England seized control early in the innings. 

The five-day Test is already a dead rubber in terms of the series result, with England holding an unassailable 2-0 leadafter convincing victories at Headingley and Lord's. 

England Strike Early

England's decision to bowl first immediately paid dividends under overcast conditions at Edgbaston.

Ollie Robinson made the first major breakthrough, dismissing Saim Ayub for a duck. The wicket was also significant for Robinson, who reached 100 Test wickets with the dismissal and became the first England bowler since Ian Botham to achieve the milestone while maintaining a bowling average below 20. 

Jofra Archer then added to Pakistan's problems by removing Shan Masood, who made 5, leaving the visitors struggling at 26/4.

Babar Azam Falls for 7

With Pakistan already four wickets down, Babar Azam came under pressure to stabilise the innings alongside Saud Shakeel.

The Pakistan captain managed only seven runs before Josh Tongue produced a delivery that beat Babar's attempted defensive stroke and crashed into the top of off stump.

Babar's dismissal left Pakistan at 48/5 after 15 overs, deepening the team's early crisis.

The wicket came after Babar had been expected to provide experience to a dramatically reshuffled Pakistan side. He had earlier acknowledged the unusual circumstances surrounding the tour and urged his team to play with greater freedom in the final Test. 

Saud Shakeel Offers Resistance

Amid Pakistan's collapse, Saud Shakeel provided some resistance with a series of attacking strokes through the off side.

Shakeel survived a difficult moment when Ben Duckett dropped a catch at first slip. It was Duckett's second dropped opportunity of the innings, although England continued to maintain pressure with the ball.

The pitch itself appeared capable of supporting stroke-making, making Pakistan's rapid loss of wickets even more damaging.

Pakistan Make Four Changes

Pakistan entered the third Test after a turbulent build-up and made four changes to the XI that played at Lord's.

Three players — Ghazi Ghori, Imran Randhawa and Razaullah — made their Test debuts, while Saim Ayub returned to the red-ball side. The changes came after the Pakistan Cricket Board sent seven players home during the tour and launched an internal inquiry into reported discipline and conduct issues. 

The reshuffle has added to the uncertainty surrounding Pakistan's campaign in England, with the visitors already having lost the series.

England Eye a 3-0 Sweep

England entered the Edgbaston Test with the series already secured following an innings-and-103-run victory at Headingley and a 194-run win at Lord's. 

Joe Root's side remained unchanged for the final Test, with England looking to complete a clean sweep.

Pakistan, meanwhile, are attempting to salvage something from a difficult tour. Babar had urged his players to treat the final match as an opportunity to play without the pressure of the series result.

However, the early collapse at Edgbaston has put Pakistan on the back foot once again, with the lower order facing the task of rebuilding the first innings against an England attack that has dominated the series.

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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