The Ashes: England reeling as 20 wickets fall on chaotic first day of fourth Test

England were bowled out for 110 inside 30 overs after Josh Tongue’s five-for had rolled Australia for 152 on a chaotic 20-wicket opening day of the fourth Ashes Test.

Played in front of a record 94,199 crowd inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia finished the day 46 runs ahead of England having started their second innings at 4-0.

After winning the toss, England sent Australia into bat and made a fast start when Travis Head (12) and Jake Weatherald (10) fell inside the opening 11 overs of the contest.

Tongue, fresh from dismissing Weatherald, then added Marnus Labuschagne (six) and Steve Smith (nine) to his list before Gus Atkinson (2-28), who replaced the injured Jofra Archer in the squad, bowled out Usman Khawaja (29).

Ben Stokes then chipped in with the big wicket of Alex Carey (20) as Cameron Green was run out by Brydon Carse on 17, and though Michael Neser (35) steadied the ship somewhat, he fell to Tongue, who ended Australia’s innings with the dismissal of Scott Boland (0).

However, England stumbled out of the blocks and found themselves 16-4 when Ben Duckett (two), Jacob Bethell (one), Zak Crawley (five) and Joe Root (0) were skittled out.

But Harry Brook revived the tourists’ hopes, even after a swipe and miss at his first delivery from Mitchell Starc, plundering 41 from 34 deliveries before he was bowled lbw by Boland, who finished the innings with figures of 3-30.

Brook’s dismissal was the start of a period that saw England score just 25 runs for the loss of five wickets, with Stokes (16) and Atkinson (28) getting their team over 100 before Neser (4-45) and Green (1-0) struck to end a crazy day of action.

A remarkable day of Ashes cricket comes to an end. pic.twitter.com/DMvjsbrjqV

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 26, 2025

Data Debrief: Madness at the MCG

The silliness of this opening day in Melbourne was summed up by Boland, who started at number 11 in the first innings, opened Australia’s batting in the second innings alongside Head, with spectators hoping for more of the same on day two.

Indeed, the 20 wickets to fall is the most on the opening day of an Ashes Test since 1909 and surpassed the 19 of the first day of the first Test of this series in Perth.

And in what has been an underwhelming series for the tourists, Tongue could hold his head high after his sensational display. The last England player to take more wickets in a men’s Test innings at the MCG than Tongue was Dean Headley (6-60 against Australia) in December 1998.