England were bundled out for 110 inside 30 overs after Josh Tongue’s five-for had rolled Australia for 152 on a breathless, 20-wicket opening day of the Boxing Day Ashes Test in Melbourne.
England have faced accusations of a drinking culture and seen the futures of coach Brendon McCullum, captain Ben Stokes and MD Rob Key called into question after last week’s defeat in the third Test at Adelaide ensured the Ashes series was lost in 11 days.
Stokes’ side, whose aim now is to avoid a 5-0 sweep and win a first Test in Australia since 2010-11, rallied initially on a manic Friday in front of a record cricket crowd at the MCG of 94,199, skittling their hosts in 45.2 overs as Tongue (5-45) removed Steve Smith (9) and Marnus Labuschagne (6) with gems en route to a third Test five-for.
Josh Tongue now has three five-wicket hauls in Tests after his superb display in Melbourne
However, the tourists then toiled on a green, bowler-friendly pitch against a high-quality attack, slipping to 16-4 and then scraping past 100 either side of a counter-attacking 41 off 34 balls from Harry Brook, who decided a ‘get runs before a delivery gets me’ approach was needed with the Kookaburra ball darting everywhere.
Gus Atkinson’s 28 off 35 balls took England into three figures before he was bowled by Cameron Green – that dismissal meaning 20 wickets fell on a single day of an Ashes Test for the first time since 1950 at The Gabba.
Australia saw out one over from Atkinson before stumps to end a remarkable day on 4-0 and 46 runs ahead, with nightwatchman Scott Boland (4no) fencing just over short leg and and edging close to Jacob Bethell at slip before slicing the final ball of the evening behind point for four as he opened with Travis Head (0no).
Duckett out cheaply as England top order blown away
England’s innings had started dreadfully with Ben Duckett (2), who had retained his spot despite a social media video emerging earlier this week appearing to show the opener drunk, ballooning Mitchell Starc’s leg-side delivery to Michael Neser at mid-on off a leading edge, a shot that suggested an understandably frazzled mind.
Ashes debutant Bethell (1) lasted just five balls after replacing the out-of-form Ollie Pope at No 3, snicking Neser (4-45) behind, before Zak Crawley (5) picked out Smith at second slip off Starc as England found themselves 8-3 in 4.2 overs in trying conditions.
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Nasser and Athers react to Jacob Bethell being dismissed for one on his return to the England Test team
The bonkers cricket extended as Brook, guilty of numerous daft strokes in this series, charged Starc (2-23) from the first delivery he faced and swished at fresh air, before edging a streaky four an over later off Neser after advancing once more.
But his aggression, which continued once Joe Root (0) was banished for a 15-ball duck after clipping the metronomic Neser through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, made sense with the bowlers holding sway.
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Harry Brook’s 41 off 34 balls rallied England from 16-4 before he was trapped lbw by Scott Boland, with Nasser and Athers backing the batter’s approach
Brook crunched two outrageous sixes, including one off Starc over extra-cover, as he put on 50 from 53 balls with Stokes (16) before being pinned lbw by the relentless Boland (3-30), the same bowler who went on to bowl Jamie Smith (0) with a nip-backer and nick off Will Jacks (5) prior to Neser having Stokes caught on the drive at slip and Brydon Carse (4) pouched on the hook at deep fine leg.
The latest collapse on this taxing tour will make England fans groan but Australia’s bowlers were unplayable at times and the pitch – dubbed a shocker by former England captain Michael Vaughan – was difficult to bat on
Tongue stars at MCG after England win toss
England’s struggles with the bat followed an excellent bowling effort, their best since the first innings of the opening Test in Perth.
Tongue recorded figures of 3-45 from 11.2 overs on Boxing Day
Tongue, spearheading the attack with Jofra Archer (side strain) out injured, had Labuschagne caught at slip and poleaxed Smith’s middle stump with a peach of a nip-backer – removing the latter for the third time in Ashes cricket – having earlier ousted Jake Weatherald (10) with a leg-side strangle.
The Nottinghamshire seamer went on castle Neser (35) before ending the innings when he nicked off last man Boland (0) as England flourished after after winning the toss.
Captain Stokes (1-25) had Carey (20) snaffled at leg slip, while Atkinson (2-28), the man who took Archer’s spot in the XI, forced Travis Head (12) to chop on to his stumps attempting a cut and made Usman Khawaja (29) edge behind.
Carse (1-42) was the least effective of the England pacers initially but improved thereafter and produced a superb run out off his own bowling to account for Cameron Green (17) and end a seventh-wicket stand of 52 with the recalled Neser, before getting Starc (1) as Stokes took a magnificent catch running back from mid-off.
England captain Ben Stokes took a superb catch to dismiss Mitchell Starc at the MCG
Australia made three alterations to their team as they pursue a 4-0 lead with rested captain and fast bowler Pat Cummins and injured spinner Nathan Lyon replaced by Neser and Jhye Richardson in an all-seam attack, plus Smith, who missed the Adelaide Test with vertigo, restored to the batting line-up as Josh Inglis made way.
Smith is deputising as captain once again, just as he did across the first two Tests when Cummins was absent with a back injury.
Richardson is playing his first Test since the 2021-22 Ashes and Neser his first red-ball Test after three previous appearances in pink-ball games, including on his home ground in Brisbane earlier this month when he picked up a five-wicket haul.
Did off-field attention affect Duckett?
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Speaking before the Melbourne Test, Stokes pledged to support under-fire opener Ben Duckett
Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook, speaking to TNT Sports: “The only way to silence the critics is to score runs. Duckett was early on to a short ball and the leading edge looks an ugly, soft dismissal. It was a poorly executed shot.
“Hopefully we are not looking at a player who is getting affected by the outside but I think we are. You will have to be so mentally strong not to be affected after what has happened to him.
“The England boys need to rally around him as a group and I am sure they will do but the only way he can change the narrative around his tour is runs.”
Former England spinner Graeme Swann, speaking to TNT Sports: “I was watching Duckett before he went out to bat. Normally he looks very calm, very at ease, but he didn’t look like he really wanted to get out there.
“It was almost as if he was being too laid back, trying not to let it affect him, which tells me that it is. He is so important and could still go on and get some runs. The team need to tell him to be effervescent and play his shots”
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