The fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground produced an extraordinary and bowler-dominated opening day on December 26, 2025, with a total of 20 wickets falling—the first time in 74 years that such a figure has been recorded on Day 1 of a Test match in Australia. Australia, inserted by England captain Ben Stokes, were dismissed for a modest 152 in their first innings, while England replied with an even lower 110, leaving the hosts 46 runs ahead at stumps with four wickets down in their second innings. The dramatic collapse on both sides was driven by significant seam movement and inconsistent bounce on a green-tinged pitch that offered extravagant assistance to fast bowlers throughout the day.

Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad expressed strong disapproval of the pitch conditions during commentary on Sen Cricket. He described the excessive sideways movement as indicative of "something really wrong," stating that Test match bowlers should not require such extreme help to be effective. Broad emphasized that good Test pitches typically provide consistent bounce and carry without excessive lateral deviation, arguing that the current surface crossed the line into unfair territory for batters and risked undermining the spirit of the contest.

England's Josh Tongue stole the headlines with a career-best 5-45, becoming the first England bowler this century to claim a five-wicket haul in a men's Test at the MCG. His spell surpassed his previous best of 5-66 against Ireland at Lord's in 2023 and marked the first such achievement by an England bowler at the venue since Darren Gough and Dean Headley in 1998. Tongue's early breakthroughs dismantled Australia's top order, including the prized wicket of captain Steve Smith, while Michael Neser and Scott Boland later exploited the same conditions to rip through England's batting lineup.

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The chaotic day drew a record Boxing Day crowd of 94,199 spectators, surpassing the previous MCG mark of 93,013 set during the 2015 Cricket World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand. Despite the historic attendance and thrilling action, the pitch preparation has sparked widespread debate among players, former cricketers, and fans alike. As the series continues with Australia already retaining the Ashes, the events of this memorable yet controversial opening day are likely to influence discussions on pitch curation for future high-profile tests.

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