Brittle England trail again as 20 wickets tumble on frenzied first day at MCG

Chaos ruled in front of a record Ashes crowd as Australia got the better of the Boxing Day madness at the MCG.

Any sense that Australia’s unassailable 3-0 lead would transform Melbourne’s marquee fixture into a lame duck event was dispelled as 94,199 fans poured through the gates, the most this famous ground has ever seen and a new high for the sport’s most historic rivalry.

What followed was a 20-wicket frenzy as both attacks cashed in on a devilish pitch which offered lavish movement and unpicked the technique of almost everyone who tried their luck. Remarkably, it would have been 21 had a tricky chance from nightwatcher Scott Boland stuck in the final over.

As usual, though, it was Australia who ended on top, scrambling together 152 before knocking England over for 110 in response. They led by 46 at the close.

Harry Brook’s rapid 41 and 35 from Michael Neser were the top scores as the game descended into a quick-fire shootout.

England, already beaten in the series and facing questions over their preparation, training methods and drinking habits, made the first move as they rounded up the hosts in 46 overs.

Josh Tongue led the way with an high-class five-for and there was a huge improvement in the standard of their fielding, with flawless catching and the rare sight of a direct hit run-out from Brydon Carse.

But Australia did not shirk the challenge, smashing England’s flimsy attempt at resistance on a disorientating day of non-stop action that barely gave the rammed stands a moment to breathe.

Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to make first use of the inviting conditions, with Gus Atkinson starting the heavy rotation at the crease when he bowled Travis Head via an under-edge in the seventh over.

Tongue replaced Carse after his wasteful work with the new ball and immediately made himself known, snaking his second ball around Jake Weatherald’s front pad and grazing a thin edge on the way through. He lined up Marnus Labuschagne next, Joe Root snaffling the nick after a narrow escape from the previous delivery.

Steve Smith looked in typically obdurate mood as he tried to restore order, but he had his middle stump detonated by a beauty as Tongue fired one full and got it to jag back hard. Smith rarely finds himself beaten through the gate, an early indication of the drama that lay ahead.

From 72 for four at lunch, Australia lost their last six wickets for 80 in the afternoon session. Usman Khawaja made 29 before nicking Atkinson behind and Stokes was thrilled to see Alex Carey spring a leg-slip trap mere seconds after it was set up.

A stand of 52 for the seventh wicket detained England but was ended when under-pressure all-rounder Cameron Green hesitated in pursuit of a risky single. Carse collected off his own bowling and hurled down the stumps at the non-striker’s end, England’s much-criticised ground fielding finally coming good.

The improvements kept coming, Stokes making good ground to catch Mitchell Starc and Tongue wiping out Neser and Boland with successive balls to end their struggles against the tail.

For a brief moment they appeared to have found their fighting spirit, but that all changed as soon as they began their own attempts to tame a devious track.

England had a big chance to get ahead but were wholly unable to pass the examination. Incredibly, they found themselves four down for just 16 runs in eight overs.

Ben Duckett’s turbulent time in the spotlight continued as he spooned Starc to mid-on, lowering his dreadful tour average to 14.14, before Jacob Bethell made a brief re-appearance at number three.

Drafted in to replace the bedraggled Ollie Pope, he lasted all of five balls before being so soundly deceived that he could have been given out caught behind or lbw to a cracker from Neser.

Zak Crawley and Root both poked to slip, the latter for a duck, with Smith’s hands as reliable as ever.

Brook conjured a manic counter-attack, charging furiously at his first ball from Starc and hitting fresh air, only to advance again four more times in the next 14 deliveries.

His devil-may-care attitude brought him two sixes, two fours and 41 runs but came with a short shelf-life as Boland pinned him clean in front.

Boland tore through Jamie Smith and Will Jacks, Neser got Stokes fencing for 16 and the tailenders nudged the total into three figures just before the finishing touches were applied.

England had failed to reach the 30-over mark, a capitulation worthy of despair even in their current predicament.

Given six balls late on to strike yet another blow, Atkinson found Boland’s edge, only for Bethell to fumble a hard, low chance.