Five innings, five dismissals.
England seamer Josh Tongue may have unearthed a bunny in Steve Smith, yet again toppling the Australian superstar on day one of the Boxing Day Ashes Test at the MCG.
Smith was bowled through the gate for 9 after an in-ducker from Tongue evaded his inside edge and crashed into the pegs, leaving the Australians in a spot of bother at 4-51. It was the fourth of 20 wickets to fall on a chaotic day at the iconic Melbourne venue, with both sides bowled out within seven hours.
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Tongue, who finished the innings with career-best figures of 5-45, previously dismissed Smith during a County Championship match in 2023, along with both innings of that year’s Ashes Test at Lord’s. The 28-year-old also removed the New South Welshman during this year’s Hundred competition in the United Kingdom.
In Tests, Smith has managed 3-35 from 69 balls against Tongue, averaging 11.67, but speaking to reporters on Friday evening, the Englishman denied that he had the wood over his Ashes rival.
“He’s obviously an amazing player,” Tongue said of Smith.
“I’ve grown up watching him and obviously getting him out is a very special feeling. But to me he’s just another batter that I want to try and get out.
“It doesn’t really matter who he is. My main goal is to get the batter out the other end.”
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Pressed on his dismissal of Smith, Tongue continued: “It was a nice ball… I’m looking for the ball to go away naturally, so if it does hit the seam and comes back in, then if I don’t know, then the batter’s probably not going to know.
“I feel like that’s one of my main attributes as a bowler… when I see the ball coming back in, I know I’m in a good place.”
Tongue controversially missed selection for the opening two Ashes Tests, sidelined in favour of fellow speedster Brydon Carse, but since being recalled for last week’s Adelaide contest, he has taken ten scalps at 17.90, becoming England’s second-leading wicket-taker of the series.
He bowled an eight-over burst before lunch on day one at the MCG, knocking over Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne and Smith in what he described as “one of his best spells” for England. After helping clean up the tail, he became the first Englishman to take a five-wicket haul in a Boxing Day Test at the MCG since 1998.
“It’s a dream come true,” Tongue continued.
“I’ve always wanted to play in the Ashes, if it’s home or away, and it obviously feels very special being here at the MCG with all my family in as well, which makes it even better.”
He added: “I want to make a difference in the side and take wickets for England, and that’s how we’re going to win games of cricket.”
Earlier in his career, Tongue suffered from thoracic outlet syndrome – a condition that impacts nerves and blood vessels near the shoulder – while he recently spent 15 months on the sidelines due to a pectoral muscle rupture and a torn hamstring.
The recovery process was arduous, but the “hard work” has paid dividends.
“I feel like the hard work that I put in, investing in my body and making sure I’m in a good place physically, I’ve got to give myself a bit of credit,” he said.
Tongue understandably didn’t have many complaints about the MCG’s green deck, which generated plenty of seam movement on Friday. It was the most wickets to fall on the first day of a Test match in Australia since 1951.
“I feel like if you put the ball in the right areas, which I felt like we did today as a bowling unit, you’re going to get your rewards,” he said of the pitch.
“That fuller length definitely helped. It helped me definitely with my angle and making sure you’re hitting the pitch hard as well.
“I felt like if you’re that short of a length, you just sat up a tiny bit, so just making sure you’re brave with your length.”
England was rolled for 110, the nation’s lowest first-innings total in Australia since 1977, to give the hosts a narrow 42-run lead. Despite being bowled out in less than 30 overs, Tongue denied there were any feelings of frustration among the England bowlers about the short turnaround.
“I don’t mind, it’s how we play our cricket,” he said.
“We play a very positive brand of cricket. We try and put pressure on the opposition and take it back to them.
“Obviously it didn’t work that well today.”
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England resumes on Saturday at 10.30 am AEDT.
