MELBOURNE: Australia finished marginally on top at the end of a chaotic opening day of the fourth Ashes test after an extraordinary 20 wickets fell in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
Australia nightwatchman Scott Boland was four not out with Travis Head yet to score as the hosts went to stumps at four for no loss in their second innings, carrying a 46-run lead over England.
With England bowled out for 110 in reply to Australia’s first innings 152, it was the highest number of wickets in a single day at the MCG since a record 25 fell in the 1902 Ashes.
Josh Tongue took a career-best 5-45 to skittle Australia on the grassy pitch after England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to field in the traditional Boxing Day test.
But the tourists’ batters then suffered a more egregious collapse.
The batting carnage unfolded in front of a crowd of 94,199, eclipsing the stadium’s previous record of 93,013 for a day of cricket at the 2015 World Cup final.
England, who have already lost the series after three straight defeats, came into the match under a cloud following reports that some players had taken a “stag party” attitude to a trip to Noosa between the second and third tests.
But they would have been well pleased with their work in the field early on, rattling through Australia in 45.2 overs to bring tea early.
The alarm bells were soon ringing, however, as their top order collapsed before they were bowled out in 29.5 overs.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan labelled the pitch a “shocker” but Australia seamer Michael Neser, who led his team’s bowling with 4-45 and batting with 35, had no complaints.
“We know it can move real fast day one and two, and then once that wicket hardens up and dries out, it can be quite nice to bat on,” he told reporters.
Miserable series
Neser’s knock was 33 runs better than England opener Ben Duckett, who was caught for two with a loose drive at Mitchell Starc, continuing his miserable series.
New number three Jacob Bethell, the replacement for the dropped Ollie Pope, managed only one before Neser had him caught behind, while opener Zak Crawley edged Starc to Steve Smith in the slips to be out for five.
Root was then out for a 15-ball duck, his second of the series, nicking Neser behind.
Harry Brook and Stokes dug in for a 50-run partnership to trim the deficit to 86 runs but England were then blown out of the water by a triple-strike from Boland.
The pacer took 3-11 as he trapped Brook lbw for 41, bowled Jamie Smith through the gate for two and had all-rounder Will Jacks caught behind for five.
Stokes was unable to rescue England, falling for 16 with an edge off Neser to Smith at first slip.
Gus Atkinson and Tongue’s 10th-wicket stand of 19 runs appeared heroic after what had gone on before. But it was all over when Cameron Green bowled Atkinson for 28, just in time for England’s bowlers to get one wicketless over in before stumps.
Australia’s Jhye Richardson, named for his first test since the last home Ashes in 2021/22, was the only one of the hosts’ four pacers not cashing in.
Tongue bowled Smith through the gate for nine among his five wickets and has dismissed the master batter in every first-class match against him, including both times at Lord’s during the 2023 Ashes.
He also removed opener Jake Weatherald (10) and number three Marnus Labuschagne (six) as Australia lost their four top-order wickets for 51 runs.
“Bowling them out for 150-odd, I thought we did an amazing job as a bowling unit,” said Tongue.
“They’ve bowled well as well. It’s obviously a pitch that’s doing quite a bit.”
