Summary

  • Fourth Test, day one, Melbourne - England win toss & bowl

  • Australia close on 4-0 - leading by 46 runs in their second innings after 20 wickets fall on frenetic day

  • England crumble to 110 all out: Brook 41 (34); Neser 4-45, Boland 3-30

  • Duckett, Bethell, Crawley and Root fall in first eight overs of England innings

  • Australia dismissed for 152 with Tongue taking a tremendous 5-45

  • Hosts hold unassailable 3-0 series lead

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Live Reporting

by Sam Drury & Mike Peter

  1. wicket

    WICKET

    Bethell c Carey b Neser 1 (Eng 8-2)

    Michael Neser of Australia celebrates with teammates afterdismissing Jacob BethellGetty Images

    Jacob Bethell lasts just five balls!

    Having survived a big lbw appeal two deliveries earlier - Australia decided not to review and rightly so, it was going over leg stump - Bethell nicks Michael Neser to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

    We get a bit of Snicko action and a few replays - the spikes don't quite match up but it appears from the replays that the ball took a thin edge and then clipped the pad on the way through.

    Here comes Joe Root, tasked once again with settling a big England wobble.

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    Duckett goes again softly. While Crawley has played decently. Have we been judging the wrong opener?

    Jacob, Presteigne

    Massive opportunity here for England goes without saying, but the same issues still exist, not as good as Australia. Where did the pre-series optimism come from?

    Kathryn, Auckland

  3. Eng 8-1

    Welcome to Ashes cricket, Jacob Bethell.

    It's an early start for his innings - but he might have expected that, when the cameras cut to him in the dressing room a few minutes ago he was wearing his helmet.

    He punches his first ball from Mitchell Starc down the ground for a single.

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

    Well, Australia just keep getting these starts every time with the ball in the hand.

    Ben Duckett gets the leading edge, and it holds out to mid-on. He will be disappointed. He has been under the spotlight the last couple of weeks.

    It is a tame way to go.

  5. Simon Mann
    BBC Test Match Special commentator

    Mitchell Starc has done it again and Ben Duckett has failed again.

  6. wicket

    WICKET

    Duckett c Neser b Starc 2 (Eng 7-1)

    Ben Duckett of England leaves the field after being dismissedGetty Images

    Oh dear, that's a shocker.

    Ben Duckett's torrid time in this series continues - he becomes Mitchell Starc's first wicket of the day.

    Brought on strike by a lovely driven three by Zak Crawley, Duckett massively mis-times a leg side shot and loops the ball up to Michael Neser at mid-on.

    Another failure for the England opener, who must be desperate for this tour to be over.

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    Tongue will take plaudits for the fifer, but having Atkinson just bowling line and length consistently allows him to be aggressive and go looking for the wicket ball every delivery.

    D, Sheffield

  8. Eng 4-0

    Michael Neser takes the ball at the other end and Zak Crawley takes a horrible waft at his opening delivery, but fails to make contact.

    A single to point brings Ben Duckett back on strike and the diminutive opener gets going with a two into the covers.

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    England's Ben Duckett batsGetty Images

    Currently extremely torn between being delighted about that bowling performance and fearful for my day three hospitality tickets. Please England, don't collapse in a heap!

    Nathan, Melbourne

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

    England just bowled better, and they put it in better areas. It is not rocket science.

    A case of pressure really, a couple of decent balls. Good constant pressure and Australia couldn't get away.

  11. Eng 1-0

    Zak Crawley doesn't score off Mitchell Starc's first four deliveries, letting a couple of lifting balls through with a raised bat.

    The Kent man gets off the mark with a single into the covers and Ben Duckett then jams his bat down on the over's final delivery.

    The ball skews to Cameron Green at gully and the Australian team half-heartedly appeal for a catch - it's pretty evidently a bump ball and they soon wander off to the next over's fielding positions, but that doesn't stop the umpires having a quick check to confirm it.

  12. Thanks Sam.

    England's openers are out in the middle, both doing a bit of shadow batting.

    Here's Mitchell Starc to open the bowling for Australia - he must be savouring the chance to bowl on this pitch.

  13. General view of Melbourne Cricket Ground during the first dayGetty Images

    Any chance of Scott Boland banging a few in short to help England out then? No, didn't think so.

    Anyway, it will be intriguing to see how the away side approach this innings - might now be the time to go on the offensive in such tricky batting conditions?

    Mike Peter is here to find out.

  14. How stat?!

    Soham Sarkhel
    CricViz analyst

    England pacers in the first innings:

    • Full length (3-6m): 6-59 off 67 deliveries
    • Good length (6-8m): 3-24 off 101 deliveries
    • Short length (>8m): 0-30 off 88 deliveries

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    Great to finally show up and bowl Australia out, but we need to consider scores once we have batted. They could easily do the same to us.

    Darrell, Washington DC.

    An excellent bowling performance gives England a strong platform - historically a dangerous place for them to stand.

    Ronik, Surrey

  16. Well, more good news for England fans - and certainly for England openers...

    An early tea has been taken so there will be no tricky little session to negotiate after all.

    The tourists' innings will begin after tea.

  17. Stephan Shemilt
    BBC Sport chief cricket reporter in Melbourne

    The current attendance at the Boxing Day Test is 93,442.

    This is the highest recorded crowd for a cricket match at MCG, exceeding 93,013 for the World Cup final in 2015.

  18. Josh Tongue of England holds up the ball as he leaves the fieldGetty Images

    England's bowlers certainly made the most of those seaming conditions to skittle Australia inside two sessions.

    Josh Tongue was excellent in taking 5-45, Gus Atkinson impressed with 2-28 and there was a wicket apiece for Ben Stokes and Brydon Carse, too.

    Now it'll be over to Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and co to try and do the same.

    A tricky little spell before tea to come for the tourists' openers. Strap in, England fans...

  19. How stat?!

    Soham Sarkhel
    CricViz analyst

    We have seen an average seam movement of 0.81 degrees in this Test so far, comfortably the highest at this stage of the match in any Test in this series.

    Since the start of the 2021-22 Ashes, MCG has seen the second-highest average seam movement for any Test venue across the world after Perth.

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

    When Ben Stokes won the toss this morning he would have hoped something like this happened.

    How are Australia's bowlers going to bowl on this wicket?

    You can see how much this means to the England team.