ASHES Australia v England 4th Test at MCG December 26-30th 2025
Neil Whitaker reports
Day 1
THE Boxing Day Test at the MCG started so well for England, they won the toss, put Australia in, dismissed them for 152 then it went wrong for England in front of a record day’s crowd.
In reply 152 England were soon in trouble losing four wickets for 16 inside eight overs. First Ben Duckett chipped Mitchell Starc to Michael Neser at mid-on. Then Jacob Bethel got an inside edge to Neser and stumper Alex Carey took the catch. Zack Crawley got an outside edge to Starc and Steve Smith at second slip took the catch. Joe Root edged Neser to stumper Alex Carey.
Harry Brook was joined by Ben Stokes and was soon playing his extravagant shots but soon calmed down while Stokes did his usual thing and dug in. But as soon as the pair added 50 Brook was caught on his crease by local hero Scott Boland and was leg before. The replay showed it to be clipping the bails.
In Boland’s next over Jamie Smith played on to him first an inside edge on to his pad and then his stumps. Stokes tried to stear Neser through the slips but gave catching practice to Steve Smith at second slip.
Brydon Carse went down the pitch to Neser and pulled him straight to Travis Head on the fine leg boundary who didn’t have to move an inch. Gus Atkinson flat batted Neser for a straight four to bring England’s hundred up much to the England fans relief. Atkinson was the last man out when he backed away from Cameron Green and was bowled. 20 wickets had fallen on the first day for 166 runs in 76.1 overs.
Neser said: “It was a bit of a whirlwind day, the ball nipped around. When we batted we had to find ways to put pressure on their bowlers. We know it can move around on days one and two so we’ve got to stick to our processes.”
England’s Josh Tongue said: “It’s how we play our cricket. We try to put pressure on the opposition, it didn’t work today but we’ll come back again tomorrow.”
It all looked so different at 3.00, England had won the toss and decided to field on a cold overcast morning and Australia were dismissed before tea with Tongue taking five for 45 his third five wicket haul in Tests.
In the first session he took three wickets. His first victim was Jake Weatherald who glanced Tongue off his legs and Jamie Smith took a low catch diving forward. Marnus Labuschange was the next to go when he edged Tongue to Root at first slip after he had been squared up and edged the previous ball which fell short of Brook at second slip.
His third wicket was the prized wicket of Aussie captain Steve Smith who drove over a ball from Tongue. He wrapped the Australian innings up with the last wickets. Michael Nesser, brought back into the side for Pat Cummins, played inside one from Tongue and was bowled.
Scott Boland faced one ball but edged Tongue to Brook at second slip. Nesser who top scored for Australia with 35 shared in the only 50 partnership of the innings with Green. The partnership was broken when Green placed Carse into the offside, hesitated and then set off again but he couldn’t beat Carse’s direct hit and didn’t wait for the umpire to make a decision. In his follow through Carse picked up the ball, turned and threw down the stumps.
Neser added: “It was his call and I knew that I could make it. It was a split second decision that he got wrong.”
Before he had scored Neser edged Stokes but the ball fell short off stumper Jamie Smith. He got off the mark when he drove Stokes for a boundary to bring up the 50 partnership with Green. Neser had a big slash at Stokes and the ball flew over the slips for another boundary.
On 19 Neser edged Tongue but again the ball fell short, this time, off Brook at second slip. He glanced Carse off his legs to the fine leg boundary and a recovery looked on the cards for the Aussies but after Green’s dismissal the rest of the tail imploded.
After they were put in both Head and Weatherald took a liking to Carse and took 13 runs off him in one over, when tgey both drove him to the boundary. Head hit two consecutive boundaries off before he chopped on to Gus Atkinson in the next over.
Australia wanted Carey to hit another big score and it looked on the cards but after adding 40 with Usman Khawaja he clipped Stokes off his leg Crawley at leg slip. After driving Atkinson to the long-off boundary Usman Khawaja was on his way back to the hutch after he edged Atkinson to Jamie Smith but the umpire was unmoved so England reviewed it and the replay showed he had edged it.
Starc chipped Carse to Stokes mid-on.
Tongue added: “It was an amazing day of cricket, to get them out for 150 I thought we did an amazing job. To get five wickets in an Ashes innings was a dream come true for me. I’ve always wanted to play in an Ashes series in front of all my family.
I feel like the hard work I put in when I was injured has worked. To get Steve Smith out was special but he’s just another batter that I wanted to get out.
I want to make a difference and take wickets for England. If we come back tomorrow and bowl as well as we did today we’ll be in a good position. The support of our fans out here has been amazing and we want to give the something to cheer about.”
Day 2
AT last England won a Test in the 2025-26 Ashes as they beat Australia by four wickets at the MCG with over three days to spare.
England’s victory at the MCG their first since they beat Australia by an innings and 157 runs in 2010. Needing 175 to win in over three days Zack Crawley and Ben Duckett set about winning the match before tea, Crawley went down the pitch to Michael Neser in the second over and drove him for a couple. His partner, after playing and missing a couple of times, gave a return chance to Mitchell Starc who spilled the chance as he fell to the ground.
Ben Stokes said: “I’ve been over here a few times and never got a win but I’ve got a few more days to rest before we go to Sydney. It’s an amazing feeling. Never has 10 runs felt so far away. I’ve finally won one. Australia is a hard place to come and win a match, never mind a series. We had a difficult few days leading up to this match. But once we focused on what’s happening on the field we put everything to the side. The way we were able to keep that focus was the reason why we came out with the right result.
The opening partnership between Duckett and Crawley made it possible for us to chase this target down. We’ve chased bigger totals down in the fourth innings but to chase 170 on a pitch like this was never going to be easy. 170 seemed like 300 but I loved the way we went about it.
This win will mean a hell of a lot to everyone and to those who are experiencing it for the first time. People like Jacob Bethel who’s going to have a long career but today he smoked one straight to cover. He was under a lot of pressure after being unlucky in our first innings.
I think that Josh Tongue learnt a lot from his Test match against India last year. He knows now that he can bowl long spells and he has that natural wicket taking ability.”
Australia captain Steve Smith said: “We love to win every game and keep that streak going but England played well today and took the game away from us. It was tough today, England came out and took the game away from us. The way they started with bat was impressive and credit to them.
It was a tricky pitch with 36 wickets falling on the first two days. But it’s tough for a groundsman; they are always looking for the right kind of balance.
I thought Tongue bowled well, he shapes the ball back into you and is similar to Scott Boland. He is a good bowler and has done well in ever game he has played for England.”
Crawley drove Michael Neser for a straight six followed by a cut to the cover boundary. He survived a leg before appeal but the Aussies reviewed it and the replay showed it to be umpires call just clipping the bails.
Duckett threw the kitchen sink at Neser for another boundary to the third man boundary followed by scooping the next ball for a six over fine leg. It was no surprise that Duckett should be the first to go but the manner in which he departed was soft, playing on to Starc off his pad.
In a surprising move Brydon Carse was promoted to number three perhaps in a move to unsettle the Aussies but it didn’t work, he bottom edged a big swing of Jhive Richardson and Cameron Green coming in from third man boundary took the catch.
Crawley got England past 100 but was leg before to Boland, but Crawley reviewed it and the replay showed it to be hitting leg. Jacob Bethal on 40 went down the pitch to Boland and smashed straight to Usman Khawaja at cover.
With 17 needed to win Joe Root was hit on his pads and given out but Root reviewed it but the replay showed it to be clipping leg stump. Stokes had a big swing at Starc, top edged it and Alex Carey took the catch with his hands above his head. Jamie Smith turned the next ball to square leg for a couple. He thumped the next ball to the mid-wicket boundary. The next ball was a no ball to tie the scores. Four leg byes saw England home.
The match was watched by 186,244 over the two including a record crowd at the MCG for cricket on Boxing Day of 94,199.
