An astonishing 20 wickets tumbled on a frenetic opening day of the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, leaving the Boxing Day clash delicately poised and the record crowd on the edge of their seats.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Under heavy cloud cover and on a lively green surface, England skipper Ben Stokes made the most of a crucial toss, inserting Australia and unleashing his pace attack. In front of a staggering 94,199 spectators — the largest cricket crowd ever recorded at the MCG — Australia were skittled for 152 before roaring back to bowl England out for just 110 in an action-packed day dominated by fast bowlers.
Josh Tongue was England’s standout performer with the ball, returning superb figures of 5 for 45 as Australia collapsed despite brief resistance. But any advantage England gained was swiftly erased by their own dramatic batting implosion, slipping to 16 for 4 and never truly recovering.Mitchell Starc and Michael Neser struck early blows, with England opener Ben Duckett enduring another miserable moment in a difficult week, falling for two after lobbing a simple catch to mid-on. Neser then removed Jacob Bethell, recalled in place of Ollie Pope, before Starc and Neser combined to rip through the top order. Zak Crawley and Joe Root departed in quick succession, plunging England into freefall.Harry Brook counter-attacked with a breezy 41, striking sixes to momentarily halt the collapse alongside Stokes, but Scott Boland turned the screws yet again at his favourite venue. The 36-year-old, who famously took 6 for 7 at the MCG in 2021, produced another devastating spell, dismissing Brook lbw before removing Jamie Smith and Will Jacks in the space of 10 deliveries.
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Neser capped off England’s misery by dismissing Stokes for 16, finishing with 4 for 45 as the tourists folded cheaply. Australia were left to safely negotiate a single over before stumps, with nightwatchman Boland and Travis Head taking the hosts to 4 without loss, a slender but valuable 46-run lead.Earlier, England’s bowlers had set the tone after lunch, with Tongue and Gus Atkinson exploiting movement to dismantle Australia’s top order. Travis Head’s brisk cameo ended early, while Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith fell cheaply, the latter bowled by Tongue. Usman Khawaja fought back with a fluent 29, but edges and soft dismissals kept Australia on the back foot.With the Ashes already retained by Australia following dominant wins in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, England arrived in Melbourne desperate for pride.