Australia has been rolled cheaply in front of a record MCG crowd on Boxing Day courtesy of a career-best performance from England seamer Josh Tongue on day one of the fourth Ashes Test.
The hosts were bowled out for 152 in just 45.2 overs after England won the toss and chose to bowl first in overcast conditions, with Tongue taking 5-45 from 11.2 overs, his third five-wicket haul in Tests, wreaking havoc with the Kookaburra on a grassy deck.
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All-rounder Michael Neser top-scored with a counterattacking 35, while quick Gus Atkinson chipped in with two crucial wickets.
Openers Travis Head and Weatherald put together 27 after England captain Ben Stokes sent the opposition in before Atkinson unearthed an early breakthrough, with the South Australian chopping on for 12. The dismissal prompted a brief collapse of 3-7, with Weatherald strangled down the leg side and Labuschagne edging towards the slips cordon, both falling to Tongue.
MATCH CENTRE: Australia vs England fourth Test scorecard, stats, teams
Late in the morning session, the 28-year-old snared the prized scalp of stand-in captain Smith, bowled through the gate for 9, to leave the Australians in dire straits at 4-51. It was the third time Tongue has removed the New South Welshman in Tests across three innings.
Veteran Usman Khawaja and wicketkeeper Alex Carey added 38 on either side of the lunch break before the duo departed in quick succession. The Queenslander feathered a peach from Atkinson through to the wicketkeeper, with England successfully overturning the on-field decision, before Carey flicked one off his pads to leg slip, falling into a trap set by Stokes.
All-rounders Cameron Green and Neser set about rebuilding the innings with a counterpunching 52-run partnership for the seventh wicket before the West Australian threw his wicket away by sprinting through for a social single, with Brydon Carse hitting the stumps at the non-striker’s end. The run out sparked a late collapse of 4-9, with Tongue cleaning up the tail.
Carse removed Mitchell Starc for 1, caught in the outfield, albeit with some lingering conjecture on whether he had overstepped the crease.
There were 93,442 fans in attendance on Friday, topping the previous MCG record of 93,013 for the 2015 World Cup final.
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