Summary

  • 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)

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Live Reporting

by Sam Drury, Mike Peter & George Booth

  1. Brydon Carse will bowl the first over of the day with Travis Head on strike.

    The first controversial - if not unexpected - call of the day from England with many wanting Josh Tongue or Ben Stokes to share the new ball...

  2. I know spirits are low and there is very little willingness to give England the benefit of the doubt/ have any kind of faith in them after the past few weeks...

    But I maintain they are still very much in this match.

    It does require a big effort with the ball this morning. We'll soon see if they've got it in them as the players make their way out to the middle.

  3. Alex Hartley
    Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    Ben Stokes of England leads his team outGetty Images

    It was a hard watch and a great watch at the same time. Everybody left the ground with a sense of disappointment.

    You don't want people leaving the ground on day one disappointed. It is sold out on day three, but nobody knows if we're going to get day three, which is utterly ridiculous.

  4. Phil Tufnell
    Former England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

    I'm just disappointed.

    I don't think the pitch was a great first day pitch for such an iconic Boxing Day Test match.

    It turned into a bit of a benefit game. People were laughing and joking.

    I didn't enjoy yesterday at all.

    Why the curator wouldn't just make it a flatter pitch I don't know for the life of me.

  5. When so many wickets fall on the first day, questions are going to be asked about the pitch - and this time is no different.

    The MCG surface was giving the seamers a remarkable amount of assistance with Michael Vaughan saying it has "done too much" and resulted in an "unfair" contest between bat and ball.

    Well, good news, folks, apparently the groundsman - or executive manager of turf, as he is officially titled - reckons it will be even better for bowling today.

  6. Glenn McGrath
    Ex-Australia bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    This first session we will see if we're going to day three - anything can happen.

  7. So after all that frenzy on day one, this how things stand.

    Australia, having been bowled out for 152 first time around, are 4-0 in their second innings and lead by 46.

    Oh, and Scott Boland is opening the batting.

    It means England, themselves skittled for 110 yesterday, need another big performance from their bowlers to leave themselves a chaseable total to claim a first Test win in Australia since 2011.

  8. Good evening one and all!

    I hope you've all recovered from the manic fever dream that was day one.

    Just the 20 wickets fell in the day, making it just the ninth time in Test history that the third innings has started on the first day.

    The match is already halfway done so if it carries on in the same manner as yesterday, it could all be finished before day two is through - I certainly wouldn't rule it out...