Ashes 4th Test: 20 wickets fall on a record-breaking Day 1
The match of the day was played in front of a world record crowd during a day of cricket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Attendance of 94,199 surpassed 93,013 for the 2015 World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand at the MCG.
After being forced to bat tensely before stumps, Australia made it 4-0 in their second innings at stumps and had an overall lead of 46 runs.
Josh Tongue took a career-best 5-45 as England defeated Australia after winning the toss and bowling. In reply, England posted 110 in 29.5 overs, with Michael Neser taking 4-45.
In his eighth test, Dil took three early wickets as Australia collapsed to 72-4 at lunch.
Travis Head (12) and Jake Weatherald (10) were dropped cheaply as Australia reached 31-2 in the 10th over. Tongue took advantage of a pitch that offered lateral movement and deceived Marnus Labuschagne (6), who made the first slide to make it 34-3.
In a significant breakthrough, captain Steve Smith lost his middle stump while trying to guide Tongue to a total of 51. Australia aimed to bounce back with veteran Usman Khawaja, but the 39-year-old was bowled out for 29 off the bowling of Gus Atkinson for 89-5. Alex Carey took a catch in the gully two runs later.
Neser (35) and Cameron Green (17) shared a 52-run partnership before Green wavered and were bowled out for 143-7.
Tongue was applauded from the field at tea after dismissing Neser and Scott Boland (0) in the first two overs of the 12th over, boosting England’s morale after losing all three tests.
England made it 8-3 in 4.2 overs as Zak Crawley (5), Jacob Bethell (2) and Ben Duckett (2) left the innings with an action-packed opening.
At 16-4 in the bottom of the eighth over, when Joe Root was caught behind for a duck off the bowling of Neser, Harry Brook bowled the next delivery off Mitchell Starc and hit it for a six at mid-on.
Brook bravely bowled 41 off 34 balls, including two fours and two sixes, and added 50 for the fifth wicket with Stokes.
Boland (3-30) dismissed Brook, Jamie Smith (2) and Will Jacks (5) three times in a row as England fell to 77-7.
Later, Neser dealt a significant blow as a result of captain Ben Stokes (16) slipping.
England’s innings closed with just enough time for Australia to face the batting before stumps.
“It’s not easy because the ball moves around,” Neser said. “We saw it when we hit it, it was tough.”
England named their squad on Wednesday with the big news that star bowler Jofra Archer will be lost for the remainder of the series, including the fifth and final test starting in Sydney on January 4.
