ASHES BREAKFAST: Australia collapses again as England seal rare two-day win in fourth Ashes Test, Gus Atkinson limps off – and why Cameron Green is in the firing line
England have pulled off their first victory in Australia in 19 attempts dating back to January 2011 after they knocked off a target of 175 inside 33 overs with four wickets to spare. They will head to Sydney for the New Year Test trailing 3–1.
Their chase was set up by Australia’s second batting collapse of the match: 132 all out, to go with their opening-day 152. It meant they had been dismissed twice in 79.5 overs, their worst effort in a Test match since 1928-19, when they lasted 76.1 against England at Brisbane.
There were four wickets for Brydon Carse and three for Ben Stokes, who helped make up for a hamstring injury to Gus Atkinson, of which more below.
Still life in Bazball yet…?
England’s chase was given a raucous start by Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, who brought up the 50 stand in just 6.5 overs, with Crawley lofting Michael Neser down the ground for six, and Duckett reverse-scooping him for six more.
Duckett’s fun ended on 34, when he was yorked by Mitchell Starc, before England sent in Carse to have a heave-ho at No 3. He made only six before top-edging a hoick off Jhye Richardson to Cameron Green at third man, before Crawley and Jacob Bethell took a significant chunk off the target, adding 47 before Crawley was trapped lbw by Boland for 37.
England’s chase was given a raucous start by Zak Crawley (pictured) and Ben Duckett, who brought up the 50 stand in just 6.5 overs
Short but sweet!
Bethell fell for a classy 40, before Richardson won a marginal lbw shout against Joe Root on 15, with England still 17 shy of victory. And there was more drama when Stokes edged a wild carve at Starc to make it 165 for six.
But Jamie Smith clipped his first ball through the leg side for three, and Harry Brook launched the next to the midwicket fence. Moments later, came the winning leg-byes, with this game over inside six sessions.
Pundits pitch in
It was hard, perhaps impossible, to find an ex-pro at the MCG with anything nice to say about the pitch served up by curator Matt Page. After 20 wickets on the first day, another 12 had fallen by tea on the second, with Michael Vaughan slamming the conditions on X.
‘This pitch is a joke,’ he tweeted at lunch. ‘This is selling the game short. The players, broadcasters and more importantly the fans. 26 wickets in 98 overs!!!!!’ Later, Kevin Pietersen tweeted: ‘Utter shambles and complete disrespect to the greatest form of the game!’
Over before it’s barely begun
Spare a thought for the fans who opted to have Christmas at home before flying in from the UK for the third day of this game. After all, before this series, there had been only two two-day finishes in Australia, in 1930-31 and 2022-23.
Now, we’ve had two in four matches. James, a listener to Test Match Special, spoke on behalf of thousands of fans when he complained: ‘On a flight to Melbourne from the UK with day three tickets. I can’t believe it will probably be all over by then!’
Injury curse strikes again
One by one, England’s fast bowlers – who arrived in Australia to such fanfare – have fallen by the wayside. First it was Mark Wood, who as ruled out of the series after hurting his left knee at Perth. Then Jofra Archer strained his left side after bowling heroically at Adelaide.
Now Gus Atkinson leaves the field on the second day in Melbourne, which will probably mean a first Ashes Test for Matthew Potts at Sydney. Who knows, even Matthew Fisher, plucked from the England Lions squad as Wood’s replacement, may enter the mix.
Gus Atkinson clutches his leg before leaving the field on day two of the Melbourne Test
Green draws Aussie ire
Impatience is growing with Cameron Green following his latest batting failure in a series in which he now averages 18 with the bat and 52 with the ball. After carving Ben Stokes to Harry Brook at second slip for 19, he incurred the commentary-box wrath of former Australia opener Simon Katich, who fumed: ‘It’s pre-determined rubbish.
Watch the ball and play it instinctively off the track.’ Green recently fetched £2m at the IPL auction, but his red-ball stock has fallen over the past few weeks.
England fail to cash in
If England had been told in advance that one of Australia’s openers would be averaging 20 after four Tests, and their No 3 would be averaging below 25, they’d have danced for joy.
Between them, Jake Weatherald and Marnus Labuschagne have now passed 50 three times in 16 innings, with Weatherald’s only innings of note – 72 at Brisbane – coming when England fed his cut shot. The trouble is, almost all the tourists’ batsmen have fared as badly, cancelling out any potential benefit.
