England performed much better with the ball on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test against Australia, with Josh Tongue proving to be the standout performer. The right-arm speedster claimed a brilliant five-wicket haul as Australia were bundled out for 152 in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Test Day 1 Update | Scorecard
A total of 93,442 spectators filled the iconic venue on Friday, setting a new record for a cricket match at the MCG, surpassing the 93,013 who attended the World Cup final in 2015. Tongue’s performances ensured that the occasion belonged firmly to England as he became the first visiting England bowler in 27 years to take five wickets at the MCG. This ended England’s long wait for such a feat on the ground and became the first since Darren Gough in 1998 to achieve the feat in a Test on Boxing Day.
England won the toss and, encouraged by the grass-rich surface, had no hesitation in opting to bowl first. Gus Atkinson, drafted into the side in place of the injured Jofry Archer, struck early by removing the dangerous Travis Head for 12. However, Brydon Carse struggled to keep the score at the other end, allowing Australia to find some early pace.
PEACH TO STEVE SMITH
This changed quickly once language was introduced as the first change. Hitting longer lengths and pulling movement from the seam, he not only stemmed the flow of runs but tore through Australia’s top order in a devastating spell. He struck three times in the morning session, dismissing opener Jake Weatherald for 10, Marnus Labuschagne for 6 and dismissing skipper Steve Smith for 9.
Tongue enjoyed a slice of fortune when Weatherald was dismissed, cutting a delivery down the leg side, but the bowler made the most of the breakthrough. He headed relentlessly into the corridor of uncertainty, pulling Labuschagne forward until he found the outer edge, safely caught in the cordon.
The highlight of the spell was the dismissal of Smith, who was playing his first Test of the series after missing the clash with Adelaide. Tongue produced a delivery of the highest quality, bowled it and made it snap hard to beat Smith’s bat and pad and hit mid-stump. Smith acknowledged the brilliance of the ball, aware that it took something special to remove it as he struggled to settle.
Australia reached lunch at 72 for four, losing three wickets in an opening burst of Tongue 3 for 24. Shortly after the break, Atkinson struck again, removing Usman Khawaja for 29, smashing 38 runs. England successfully overturned the on-field decision via review, with Snicko scoring a narrow lead to keeper Jamie Smith.
Any hopes of a recovery were dashed by a dramatic late collapse. All-rounder Cameron Green, demoted to seventh in the batting order, was run out for 17, prompting a quick unraveling. Australia lost their last four wickets for just nine runs and their last three without adding a single run. Mitchell Starc made one, Michael Neser contributed a defiant 35 while Scott Boland fell for a duck.
Wicketkeeper Alex Carey also wasted a start, gifting his wicket for 20 to Ben Stokes by flicking a leg-side delivery straight to Zak Crawley at gully.
Tongue came back to clear the tail and complete his five-wicket haul to cap off a memorable day for England. Remarkably, Smith has now dropped Tongue in every first-class innings he has played against him, including twice during the Ashes at Lord’s in 2023 – a personal matchup that continues to favor the England seamer.
With the conditions still offering help, England will sense an opportunity to take control of the Test, while Tongue’s performance will be remembered as one of the best away bowling displays at the MCG in recent memory.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
December 26, 2025
