England Eyes Victory in Boxing Day Test After Strong Start Against Australia

England's Strong Position in Boxing Day Test

Melbourne, Australia - December 27: England is on the verge of breaking their 18-match winless streak in Test matches on Australian soil. The opening duo of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett has set the stage with a solid fifty partnership as they chase 175 runs to clinch the prestigious Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), finishing the second session of day two on a positive note.

As the session concluded, England stood at 77/2, with Crawley (22*) and Jacob Bethell (9*) at the crease, needing 98 more runs to secure victory.

Australia resumed the second session at 98/6, featuring Steve Smith (16*) and Cameron Green (6*). England's start was rocky, with Josh Tongue conceding two boundaries to Green in his opening over, allowing Australia to reach the 100-run mark in 25.3 overs.

Just when it appeared that Smith and Green were forming a partnership, England's captain Ben Stokes made a crucial breakthrough, dismissing Green for 19 runs off 29 balls, caught by Harry Brook at slips. Australia was then at 119/7 in 30.5 overs.

England quickly dismantled the Australian tail, bowling them out for 132 runs in 34.3 overs, establishing a lead of 174 runs and setting England a target of 175.

Brydon Carse (4/34), Stokes (3/24), and Tongue (2/44) were the standout bowlers for England.

In their pursuit of 175 runs, England began confidently, with Mitchell Starc gifting Crawley a boundary in the first over. The aggressive approach continued as Duckett struck Starc for a four, followed by Crawley hitting Michael Neser for a six and another four in the fifth over.

Neser struggled against the openers, falling victim to a brilliant lap shot from Duckett, who appeared to be in fine form, albeit too late for England. Duckett's hard-hitting against Starc led to England's first 50-run partnership of the Ashes in just 6.5 overs. However, Starc retaliated by dismissing Duckett for 34 runs off 26 balls, leaving England at 51/1 after seven overs.

Brydon Carse came in at number three but was quickly dismissed by Jhye Richardson, who was playing his first Test in four years, scoring just six runs. England found themselves at 65/2 in 9.5 overs.

Crawley and Jacob Bethell managed to navigate the remainder of the session without losing any further wickets.

At the end of the first session, Australia was at 98/6 in 25 overs, with Smith (16*) and Green (6*). They had a lead of 140 runs but were down to just four wickets, needing to set a challenging target for England in a match that has favored bowlers thus far. Meanwhile, English pacer Gus Atkinson had to leave the field due to hamstring soreness shortly after the session began.

Australia started their day at 4/0, with Scott Boland (4*) and Travis Head (0*) unbeaten.

Six overs into the session, Atkinson provided England with a breakthrough, dismissing Boland for just six runs after he edged one to keeper Jamie Smith. Australia was one down at 22 in 6.1 overs.

Captain Ben Stokes then took out Jake Weatherald for a mere five runs, leaving Australia at 40/2 in 10.5 overs.

Australia reached the 50-run mark in 13.3 overs.

Marnus Labuschagne's disappointing Ashes continued as he was caught by Joe Root at first slip for just eight runs, giving Tongue his first wicket of the innings and sixth of the match. Australia was at 61/3 in 17.3 overs.

Head's resistance ended when a delivery from Carse hit the top of his off-stump, sending him back for 46 runs off 67 balls. Australia was left at 82/4 in 21 overs.

Usman Khawaja's Boxing Day Test journey ended disappointingly as he was caught by substitute fielder Ollie Pope, falling for a two-ball duck, leaving Australia at 83 runs with half their side dismissed.

Carse also took out Alex Carey for just four runs, reducing Australia to 88/6.

Smith and Green managed to see out the remainder of the session without further losses.

England opted to bowl first, and Josh Tongue's five-wicket haul (5/45) helped dismiss Australia for a mere 152 in their first innings, with Neser (35 runs) and Khawaja (29 runs) being the top scorers.

Tongue made history by becoming the first bowler from England to take a five-wicket haul in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG in the 21st century, playing a pivotal role in restricting Australia to just two sessions.

Tongue showcased the aggression and determination that England fans had been longing for. After losing the Ashes Test series and waiting for their first win in Australia since the 2010/11 season, England, particularly Tongue, arrived at the MCG with a fierce desire to succeed. Representing the Three Lions, Tongue played with the fiery pride that has been wounded in Australia since their last Ashes victory there.

Darren Gough and Dean Headley were the last English bowlers to take five wickets at the MCG back in 1998.

England concluded their day at 110 all out, with Brook as the top scorer and Gus Atkinson contributing 28 runs. Meanwhile, Neser (4/45) and Boland (3/30) excelled with the ball. Australia ended the day at 4/0, leading by 46 runs.

Brief Scores: Australia: 152 and 132 (Travis Head 46, Steve Smith 24*, Brydon Carse 4/34) against England: 110 and 77/2 (Ben Duckett 34, Zak Crawley 22*, Jhye Richardson 1/14).