MCG pitch under fire as 20 wickets fall on chaotic opening day

“I think it’s a little bit too sporty. I think there’s a little bit too much in it,” Lee said on Fox. “If I were a fast bowler I wouldn’t be complaining at the end of the day. It’s a different surface. It’s that fuzziness. I brushed my hand across the edge of the wicket this morning and you can feel the grass lifting up.

“Unloading [Australian captain Pat Cummins] He almost went back to the hotel to get his nails. But if you don’t bowl with the right line and length, you won’t get wickets. Wickets don’t just fall into your lap.”

“I think it’s a little too sporty. I think there’s a little too much in it.”

Brett Lee

While Neser (4-45 in 10 overs) and Scott Boland (3-30 in nine) once again demolished England with their outstanding bowling and unerring accuracy, Marnus Labuschagne admitted batting was a difficult task, hitting a six from 19 balls on Friday.

“There’s quite a lot of grass there, so the ball sits a little bit in the goal and makes it a little bit difficult to score, especially down the ground,” Labuschagne said on Fox. “That’s something we need to work on in our next innings.”

Waugh was unimpressed with the sharp reversal of Will Jacks’ Boland delivery.

“I don’t really like what I’ve seen so far. It’s a bit too much in favor of the faster bowlers,” he said on Fox. “That’s gone too far. Bit unlucky to bat that one, Will Jacks. It’s seam-like as an off-spinner. You’ve got high-quality seam bowling like Scott Boland, he’ll nip it both ways.”

The most wickets fallen on the opening day of Test cricket in Australia was 25 at the MCG in 1902.

England squandered their best chance of the series to take control as Zak Crawley (5), Ben Duckett (2), Ashes debutant Jacob Bethell (1) and Joe Root (0) failed to keep the innings steady.

Duckett’s dominance of Starc capped a week overshadowed by an alcohol-fuelled video at Noosa, while Bethell fell behind Carey ahead of Neser, while Root’s 14-ball duck – his fifth score under 20 this series – underlined his collapse after a century at the Gabba.

While none of Australia’s top four batsmen could get past 12, England’s remarkable capitulation showed why it is wise to judge a team’s performance only after both sides have batted.

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When Harry Brook bowled the first ball to Starc and tried to give him a six – he missed by a wide margin – it was reminiscent of Sam Konstas’ audacious series of ramp shots in his first match last year. Brook’s entertaining knock of 41 for 34 ended with Boland lbw amid England’s 6-44 collapse.

Jake Weatherald and Travis Head nearly opened the batting twice in one day, but Australia opted for Boland as nightwatchman alongside the latter for a single before stumps.

Boland navigated safely through Gus Atkinson’s six, batting with arm guard and the home crowd firmly behind him; He even managed a boundary off the last ball; This brought the biggest joy of the day as Australia closed out their spectacular day with 46 runs.