Australia will take a 46-run lead into day two of the Boxing Day Test even after being sent in to bat first and being all out before tea for 152. Josh Tongue claimed five for 45 while Michael Neser top scored with 35 on a green top that ensured batting was difficult. As has so often been the case throughout this series, England were unable to make the most of getting ahead in the game. The tourists were dismissed for 110 inside 30 overs and in less than a session with Harry Brook’s counterpunching 41 the standout as Australia shared the wickets around. Neser finished with four and Scott Boland three, while Mitchell Starc took two early wickets.
Boland then survived a single tense over in Australia’s second innings as the hosts finished the day on 4-0 at the MCG.England won the toss and chose to bat in conditions that would not have been out of place in spring in the English county circuit, with cloud cover and temperatures of just 12 degrees Celsius.
And their decision to bowl first appeared vindicated when Gus Atkinson got his early reward by having Travis Head (12) play onto his own stumps.
Jake Weatherald (10) followed him into the sheds soon after as Josh Tongue had the Tasmania opener caught behind, and the Aussies were in further trouble at 3-34 when Marnus Labuschagne (6) fended to Joe Root at second slip.
Steve Smith (9) was bowled by a beauty by Tongue, which nipped back and castled is middle stump, a clear sign of the excessive seam movement off the 10mm grass on the pitch that would plague every batter in the match.Usman Khawaja (29) and Alex Carey (20) managed a 38-run partnership before Khawaja was caught by Smith off Atkinson and Carey clipped the ball around the corner off Ben Stokes, straight into the hands of Zak Crawley at leg slip, the England skipper moving him there for that ball.
Cameron Green and Michael Neser then combined to score the innings’ only 50-run partnership before a calamitous run out for Green ended his innings for 17.
Brydon Carse, by far the weakest of Englands bowling quartet, fielded superbly off his bowling to throw down the stumps at the non-strikers end as Green set off for a suicidal single.
Green, batting at number seven in this match, will have increased the mounting pressure on himself with another shaky innings with the bat and another low score.
That run out sparked a collapse of 4-9 off 19 balls as Neser (35), Mitch Starc (1) and Scott Boland (0) all fell in quick succession, with Tongue claiming 5-45.
