Fourth Test, day two, Melbourne
England chase down 175 to beat Australia by four wickets inside two days
Tourists skittle hosts for 132 - Carse 4-34, Stokes 3-24
Crawley & Duckett make fine start to chase, Bethell hits 40 and Brook & Smith finish the job
Hosts have unassailable 3-1 series lead
Fifth and final Test in Sydney starts on 4 January (23:30 GMT 3 January)
Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport chief cricket reporter in Melbourne
Image source, Getty ImagesAn update on Gus Atkinson from England, who left the field holding his hamstring earlier...
"England seamer Gus Atkinson left the field after bowling his fifth over of the innings, having felt some soreness in his left hamstring. He will be assessed over the next few hours."
Lead by 93
Drinks taken and had Will Jacks snaffled that catch, England might look back at the first hour rather more favourably.
As it is, despite taking two wickets, they will be frustrated. They've also lost Gus Atkinson to what appears to be a hamstring issue.
Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport chief cricket reporter in Melbourne
Remember when I said the wheels could come off? That's an injury and a drop in the first hour.
Glenn McGrath
Ex-Australia bowler on BBC Test Match Special
England have dropped a few catches that have cost them. That one there, Will Jacks didn't pick it up out of the crowd until the last minute.
Aus 50-2
Short, cut by Travis Head and it should be a relatively straightforward chance at point.
But Will Jacks loses sight of it and the ball hits his right hand and goes through.
Disappointment for England and Josh Tongue. That could be very costly.
Glenn McGrath
Ex-Australia bowler on BBC Test Match Special
Image source, Getty ImagesThat was on a length and it just bounced. We call that one a spitting cobra.
That is what Ben Stokes does, he can bowl the same area ball after ball.
Ben Stokes, things happen when he bowls. He is challenging the batsmen every ball.
Lead by 90
Has that added workload contributed to Gus Atkinson's injury? Well, we don't know how bad it is yet, but it doesn't look good.
Meanwhile, Ben Stokes gets one to jump off a length and thud into Marnus Labuschagne's gloves. A nip-backer and that hurts.
And again! Labuschagne throws the bat down this time.
He edges the last ball, but down and into the gap, away for four. Very good over from Stokes, but Labuschagne survives.
Soham Sarkhel
CricViz analyst
Gus Atkinson, in his first-class career, bowled 2,035 balls between his debut in 2020 and the end of 2023.
Since the start of 2024, he has now bowled 4,330 deliveries.
Lead by 84
Just a couple of singles off another good over from Josh Tongue.
There's a strangled appeal last ball as it angles into the pads before looping up into the leg side.
It lands safely, though. Not entirely sure what the appeal was for...
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Image source, Getty ImagesTravis Head looks like he’s starting to settle after a shaky start, this could be game over if he goes on to hit a big score.
Alex, Wales
Lead by 82
Marnus Labuschagne is in at four and gets forward to defend the last ball of a wicket-taking first over from Ben Stokes.
Two wickets already for England but no big celebrations, they need eight more as quickly as possible.
Especially with Gus Atkinson potentially unable to bowl again, the shorter the innings, the better.
Glenn McGrath
Ex-Australia bowler on BBC Test Match Special
Jake Weatherald left it, and the ball came back from the angle and clipped the top of off stump.
This is what Ben Stokes does. He bowls better areas consistently.
Weatherald is not happy with himself.
This game continues to move along at a rate of knots.
Weatherald b Stokes 5 (Aus 40-2)
Bowled 'im!
Jake Weatherald doesn't last long, attempting to leave one from Ben Stokes but the ball nips back to hit the top of off.
Superbly bowled by the England skipper from round the wicket and this game continues to move on rapidly.
Lead by 82
If Gus Atkinson is really in bother then that could quite easily happen. He left the field of play holding his hamstring...
For now, it's Ben Stokes into the attack.
Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport chief cricket reporter in Melbourne
Harry Brook might bowl today. I'm not joking.
Lead by 81
No hat-trick for Josh Tongue this time as Jake Weatherald whips the first ball of the over through the leg side for three.
He did plant his front leg right in front of the stumps, though, so it's a good job he got bat on it.
Just a single from the next five balls but the bad news for England is that Gus Atkinson has walked off the pitch and looks to have sustained an injury.
Worrying. We'll keep you posted.
I've got to be honest, Adam, I think after 20 wickets fell on day one, anyone who needs that word of caution about the pitch hasn't been paying attention.
Anyway, here comes Josh Tongue and he's on a hat-trick...
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A word of caution on this pitch, England need to be very careful in terms of keeping the runs and chase down to below a 200 target, otherwise the 4th innings will be a difficult chase on this track!
Adam
Lead by 75
Image source, Getty ImagesGus Atkinson tries something a little different to end the over, a slower ball wide of off to tempt Travis Head.
The Australia opener goes after it, doesn't time it, but the contact is good enough to clear mid-off and get him two.
I don't mind that idea from Atkinson, though.
Glenn McGrath
Ex-Australia bowler on BBC Test Match Special
The short and wide delivery has never worked that well in Test cricket.
England have got to get that consistent length and keep it there. They have been all over the place this morning.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head,bowled Atkinson Head, bowled Atkinson | 12 | 22 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 54.55 |
Weatherald,caught Smith, bowled Tongue Weatherald, caught Smith, bowled Tongue | 10 | 23 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 43.48 |
Labuschagne,caught Root, bowled Tongue Labuschagne, caught Root, bowled Tongue | 6 | 19 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 31.58 |
Smith,bowled Tongue Smith, bowled Tongue | 9 | 31 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 29.03 |
Khawaja,caught Smith, bowled Atkinson Khawaja, caught Smith, bowled Atkinson | 29 | 52 | 37 | 2 | 0 | 78 | 55.77 |
Carey,caught Crawley, bowled Stokes Carey, caught Crawley, bowled Stokes | 20 | 35 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 57.14 |
Green,run out Carse Green, run out Carse | 17 | 34 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 50.00 |
Neser,bowled Tongue Neser, bowled Tongue | 35 | 49 | 37 | 7 | 0 | 65 | 71.43 |
Starc,caught Stokes, bowled Carse Starc, caught Stokes, bowled Carse | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 16.67 |
Richardson,not out Richardson, not out | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.00 |
Boland,caught Brook, bowled Tongue Boland, caught Brook, bowled Tongue | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Extras, no balls 1, wides 0, byes 4, leg byes 8, total 13 Extras, no balls 1, wides 0, byes 4, leg byes 8, total 13 | |||||||
Total,152 all out 45.2 overs Total,152 all out 45.2 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atkinson | 14.0 | 4 | 28 | 2 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
Carse | 12.0 | 3 | 42 | 1 | 53 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3.50 |
Tongue | 11.2 | 2 | 45 | 5 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3.97 |
Stokes | 8.0 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.12 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
27 for 1 (6.1 overs) | Head |
31 for 2 (9.2 overs) | Weatherald |
34 for 3 (11.5 overs) | Labuschagne |
51 for 4 (19.2 overs) | Smith |
89 for 5 (28.5 overs) | Khawaja |
91 for 6 (31.2 overs) | Carey |
143 for 7 (42.1 overs) | Green |
152 for 8 (44.5 overs) | Starc |
152 for 9 (45.1 overs) | Neser |
152 for 10 (45.2 overs) | Boland |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crawley,caught Smith, bowled Starc Crawley, caught Smith, bowled Starc | 5 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 35.71 |
Duckett,caught Neser, bowled Starc Duckett, caught Neser, bowled Starc | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 40.00 |
Bethell,caught Carey, bowled Neser Bethell, caught Carey, bowled Neser | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 20.00 |
Root,caught Carey, bowled Neser Root, caught Carey, bowled Neser | 0 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0.00 |
Brook,leg before wicket, bowled Boland Brook, leg before wicket, bowled Boland | 41 | 34 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 59 | 120.59 |
Stokes,caught Smith, bowled Neser Stokes, caught Smith, bowled Neser | 16 | 38 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 67 | 42.11 |
Smith,bowled Boland Smith, bowled Boland | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 66.67 |
Jacks,caught Carey, bowled Boland Jacks, caught Carey, bowled Boland | 5 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 50.00 |
Atkinson,bowled Green Atkinson, bowled Green | 28 | 35 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 45 | 80.00 |
Carse,caught Boland, bowled Neser Carse, caught Boland, bowled Neser | 4 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 33.33 |
Tongue,not out Tongue, not out | 1 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 11.11 |
Extras, no balls 1, wides 0, byes 0, leg byes 4, total 5 Extras, no balls 1, wides 0, byes 0, leg byes 4, total 5 | |||||||
Total,110 all out 29.5 overs Total,110 all out 29.5 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starc | 6.0 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3.83 |
Neser | 10.0 | 1 | 45 | 4 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4.50 |
Boland | 9.0 | 1 | 30 | 3 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3.33 |
Richardson | 4.0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
Green | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
7 for 1 (2.3 overs) | Duckett |
8 for 2 (3.4 overs) | Bethell |
8 for 3 (4.2 overs) | Crawley |
16 for 4 (7.6 overs) | Root |
66 for 5 (16.5 overs) | Brook |
68 for 6 (18.2 overs) | Smith |
77 for 7 (20.2 overs) | Jacks |
83 for 8 (21.1 overs) | Stokes |
91 for 9 (23.6 overs) | Carse |
110 for 10 (29.5 overs) | Atkinson |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boland,caught Smith, bowled Atkinson Boland, caught Smith, bowled Atkinson | 6 | 17 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 35.29 |
Head,bowled Carse Head, bowled Carse | 46 | 67 | 46 | 4 | 0 | 101 | 68.66 |
Weatherald,bowled Stokes Weatherald, bowled Stokes | 5 | 15 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 33.33 |
Labuschagne,caught Root, bowled Tongue Labuschagne, caught Root, bowled Tongue | 8 | 18 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 44.44 |
Smith,not out Smith, not out | 24 | 39 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 89 | 61.54 |
Khawaja,caught substitute, bowled Tongue Khawaja, caught substitute, bowled Tongue | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
Carey,caught Brook, bowled Carse Carey, caught Brook, bowled Carse | 4 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 66.67 |
Green,caught Brook, bowled Stokes Green, caught Brook, bowled Stokes | 19 | 29 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 65.52 |
Neser,caught and bowled Carse Neser, caught and bowled Carse | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.00 |
Starc,caught Root, bowled Carse Starc, caught Root, bowled Carse | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
Richardson,caught Crawley, bowled Stokes Richardson, caught Crawley, bowled Stokes | 7 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 70.00 |
Extras, no balls 3, wides 0, byes 4, leg byes 6, total 13 Extras, no balls 3, wides 0, byes 4, leg byes 6, total 13 | |||||||
Total,132 all out 34.3 overs Total,132 all out 34.3 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atkinson | 5.0 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.00 |
Carse | 11.0 | 3 | 34 | 4 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.09 |
Tongue | 11.0 | 2 | 44 | 2 | 48 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 |
Stokes | 7.3 | 1 | 24 | 3 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.20 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
22 for 1 (6.1 overs) | Boland |
40 for 2 (10.5 overs) | Weatherald |
61 for 3 (17.1 overs) | Labuschagne |
82 for 4 (20.6 overs) | Head |
83 for 5 (21.3 overs) | Khawaja |
88 for 6 (22.5 overs) | Carey |
119 for 7 (30.5 overs) | Green |
120 for 8 (31.5 overs) | Neser |
121 for 9 (31.6 overs) | Starc |
132 for 10 (34.3 overs) | Richardson |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crawley,leg before wicket, bowled Boland Crawley, leg before wicket, bowled Boland | 37 | 48 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 95 | 77.08 |
Duckett,bowled Starc Duckett, bowled Starc | 34 | 26 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 35 | 130.77 |
Carse,caught Green, bowled Richardson Carse, caught Green, bowled Richardson | 6 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 75.00 |
Bethell,caught Khawaja, bowled Boland Bethell, caught Khawaja, bowled Boland | 40 | 46 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 75 | 86.96 |
Root,leg before wicket, bowled Richardson Root, leg before wicket, bowled Richardson | 15 | 38 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 39.47 |
Brook,not out Brook, not out | 18 | 22 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 81.82 |
Stokes,caught Carey, bowled Starc Stokes, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 2 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 22.22 |
Smith,not out Smith, not out | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 150.00 |
Extras, no balls 5, wides 0, byes 8, leg byes 10, total 23 Extras, no balls 5, wides 0, byes 8, leg byes 10, total 23 | |||||||
Total,178 for 6 32.2 overs Total,178 for 6 32.2 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starc | 10.0 | 0 | 55 | 2 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5.50 |
Neser | 8.0 | 1 | 54 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 6.75 |
Richardson | 5.2 | 1 | 22 | 2 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.12 |
Boland | 9.0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.22 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
51 for 1 (6.6 overs) | Duckett |
65 for 2 (9.5 overs) | Carse |
112 for 3 (18.4 overs) | Crawley |
137 for 4 (24.3 overs) | Bethell |
158 for 5 (28.4 overs) | Root |
165 for 6 (31.2 overs) | Stokes |