Tag: Ashes 2025

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) witnessed history even before the first day’s play reached the tea interval as the Boxing Day Ashes Test produced the largest cricket crowd ever recorded at the iconic venue.

A staggering 94,199 spectators packed into the MCG on Day 1 of the fourth Ashes Test, setting a new all-time attendance record for a single day of cricket at the ground.

The figure surpassed the previous high of 93,013, which was set during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand.

Friday’s turnout also established a new benchmark for Test cricket at the MCG, eclipsing the 91,112 fans who attended Day 1 of the 2013 Boxing Day Test between Australia and England.

With tickets for Days 2 and 3 already sold out, this year’s Boxing Day Test has also placed the cumulative Ashes attendance record of 271,865, set in 2013, firmly within reach.

Australia currently hold a commanding 3–0 lead in the Ashes series, with the Sydney Test still to come after the Melbourne clash.

In a broader historical context, the crowd ranks as the second-largest ever to attend a single day of Test cricket, behind only the famous India-Pakistan Test in Kolkata in 1998–99, which drew over 100,000 spectators.

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The record-breaking crowd was rewarded with a dramatic opening day as 20 wickets fell on a lively pitch.

England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bowl on a green surface under overcast conditions, a decision that paid early dividends as Australia were bowled out for 152.

Josh Tongue led England’s attack with a superb spell, claiming 5 for 45 as the hosts struggled to build partnerships.

However, England’s response with the bat proved even more fragile. They slumped to 16 for 4 and never truly recovered, eventually being dismissed for just 110.

Australia were left to negotiate a single over before stumps and did so safely, with nightwatchman Scott Boland seeing out the day alongside Travis Head.

At the close, the hosts were 4 without loss, holding a slender but crucial 46-run lead on a day that delivered both record crowds and relentless action.

READ: 20 wickets fall on Day 1 as Australia gain edge in Boxing Day Ashes Test

MELBOURNE: An astounding 20 wickets fell on a frantic day one of the Boxing Day Ashes Test on Friday, with Australia all out for 152 before storming back to dismiss England for 110 and leave the clash on a knife-edge.

England skipper Ben Stokes won a key toss on a green track, and his quicks feasted after sending in the hosts under overcast skies with 94,199 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) watching.

It was the biggest cricket crowd ever at the cavernous arena, exceeding the 93,013 who watched the 2015 World Cup final, and they witnessed the home side collapse with Josh Tongue grabbing 5-45.

But England fared even worse, slumping to 16-4 and never recovering, leaving Australia to face one over before stumps, which nightwatchman Scott Boland safely negotiated with Travis Head at the other end.

Australia were 4-0 at the close with Boland on four, 46 ahead, with Head yet to face a ball.

Beleaguered England opener Ben Duckett’s week went from bad to worse, out for two just days after an unverified video surfaced showing him drunk during a mid-series beach break.

It was another shocking dismissal for the 31-year-old, lobbing a simple catch to Michael Neser at mid-on off the irrepressible Mitchell Starc.

Neser in the next over removed Jacob Bethell, playing in place of the under-performing Ollie Pope, when he edged to Alex Carey behind the stumps.

Zak Crawley was taken in the slips by Steve Smith off Starc four balls later, then Joe Root edged Neser to Carey to put England into freefall.

Harry Brook decided aggression was the best approach, smashing sixes off Starc and Neser, and with Stokes, the pair temporarily halted the carnage. They put on 50 before Scott Boland trapped Brook lbw for 41.

Boland then bowled Jamie Smith for two and had Will Jacks caught behind, all within the space of 10 deliveries from the 36-year-old who took 6-7 on the same ground against England four years ago.

When Stokes edged Neser, who ended with 4-45, to Smith in the slips for 16, it was all but over.

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Australia have already retained the Ashes after crushing eight-wicket victories in Perth and Brisbane and an 82-run win in Adelaide, with England desperate to restore pride.

Castigated over their limited Ashes preparations, the tourists lost the famous urn in just 11 days of play, with a scandal involving alleged excessive drinking by players during the mid-series beach break piling on the pressure.

They responded well after Stokes won the crucial toss. Missing injured pace spearhead Jofra Archer, the reinstated Atkinson opened the attack.

An aggressive Head drove consecutive boundaries off a wayward Brydon Carse, but he only lasted 22 balls, chopping on from Atkinson for 12.

Opening partner Jake Weatherald fared little better, tickling down the leg side to wicketkeeper Smith on 10 in Tongue’s first over, with the Nottinghamshire quick then enticing an edge from Marnus Labuschagne (six) that was well taken by Root at slip.

Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja began to stabilise the innings before Tongue struck again to bowl the Australia captain for nine and leave England in charge.

With the sun breaking through on their return from lunch, Khawaja (29) hit a glorious counter-attacking drive off Atkinson.

But his luck ran out next ball, getting the faintest of edges to Smith before Adelaide century-maker Alex Carey (20) flicked a Stokes ball to Crawley, who had just moved to leg gully.

Cameron Green, who has had a lean series, crunched back-to-back fours off Tongue as he settled in.

Not to be outdone, Neser, in his fourth Test but first red-ball affair, went one better, cracking three in succession off the same bowler.

But disaster struck again, with Green run out for 17, going for a risky single, then Starc hoisted Carse to a back-pedalling Stokes at mid-off before Tongue removed Neser and Boland.

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MELBOURNE: England pace spearhead Jofra Archer was ruled out of the rest of the Ashes with a side strain, while batter Ollie Pope was axed for the Boxing Day Test against Australia.

Archer has arguably been England’s best bowler over the first three Tests, sending down 80 overs and claiming nine wickets.

He is replaced by Gus Atkinson, who leads the attack alongside Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse and skipper Ben Stokes, with Will Jacks retained as the spin option.

It is a major setback for England, who are 3-0 down in the Ashes and desperate to restore pride at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) starting Friday.

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They are already without quick Mark Wood, who bowled just 11 overs for the tour before succumbing to a knee injury.

The under-performing Pope paid for his poor form at number three, with Jacob Bethell taking over in the only other change.

Opener Ben Duckett, who was purportedly shown drunk on an unverified video in between the second and third Tests, managed to hold his spot.

England squad for fourth Ashes Test

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue

READ: Australia name squad for Boxing Day Ashes Test

MELBOURNE: Australia will take an all-pace attack into the Boxing Day Ashes Test, skipper Steve Smith said Thursday, while Josh Inglis was dropped from the squad with selectors preferring Usman Khawaja.

The hosts head into the Boxing Day Test with an unassailable 3-0 lead over England, but are without pace spearhead Pat Cummins and veteran spinner Nathan Lyon.

Cummins is being managed after his return in the third Adelaide Test after a lengthy lay off with a lower back injury and will play no further part in the Ashes.

Lyon had surgery this week for a torn hamstring and faces a long recovery.

Todd Murphy was called up as cover for Lyon, but Smith said they had opted for a pace attack given the “quite furry” surface at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

“We’re going to be playing four quicks and no spinner. (The pitch) has 10 millimetres of grass, quite furry, quite green,” he said.

“I dare say it’s going to offer quite a bit, particularly if (day one) is similar conditions to today, quite cold and overcast, so I dare say there’s going to be quite a bit of movement.

“You just got to play what surface you’re presented with,” he added.

“This one looks like it’s going to offer a fair bit of assistance for the seam bowlers, and the weather throughout the week looks conducive for that too.”

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Australia named a 12-man squad, with a final decision on who leads the attack alongside Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland being made at the toss.

One of Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, or Brendan Doggett will miss out.

Doggett and Neser played in the second Test in Brisbane, but made way in Adelaide when Cummins and Lyon returned.

Richardson is in his first squad for four years after three shoulder surgeries.

Smith missed the third Test with vertigo symptoms and will slot back in at number four.

Khawaja filled his role in Adelaide, hitting 82 and 40, and slides down to five ahead of Alex Carey and Cameron Green, with Inglis missing out.

Smith, who captained Australia in the first two Tests during Cummins’ absence, said he was fully recovered and feeling “100 percent” fit.

“I was watching in the hotel those first two days (in Adelaide) and wished I could have been out there, but it was the right call at that stage because I was struggling,” he said of his vertigo, an issue that has plagued him before.

Australia squad for fourth Ashes Test

Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson

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MELBOURNE: England skipper Ben Stokes has thrown his weight behind opener Ben Duckett after the ECB launched a probe into a viral video allegedly showing the batter intoxicated during the Noosa trip.

The video, which surfaced on the X platform, shows Ben Duckett reportedly appearing drunk and losing on his way back to the team hotel in Noosa during the break between the second Ashes Test.

Despite the controversy, Duckett is set to play the fourth Test of the Ashes series, starting Friday.

Ahead of the Test match, Duckett got Stokes’ public backing with the skipper describing him as the linchpin of England’s batting lineup and an influential figure in the change room.

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“It’s all pretty fresh and pretty new. I’ve obviously reached out and spoken to him and offered my complete support to him throughout this.

The 34-year-old recalled reflecting on his challenging time during the 2018 Australia tour, saying scrutiny can heavily affect players off the field.

“I have first-hand experience of how this can affect people,” he said.

“I will always support my players, particularly in a moment like this where everything feels like it’s on top of you – and for some players more than others as well.

My job as England captain is obviously to be out there and get results for the team, but also to try to give people the best chance of being in a mental space where they can go out there and perform,” he concluded.

Duckett, who is yet to make his mark down under after a series of low scores in the first three Tests, will now be under scrutiny as England look for their first win on Australian soil since their triumphant 2011 tour.

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LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is set to investigate an alleged video of Ben Duckett, which went viral after he reportedly got lost on his way back to the team hotel.

The alleged video emerged on the X platform on Tuesday, just after England men’s managing director Rob Key said that there would be an investigation into the Three Lions refreshing trip during the break between Second Ashes Test.

England took a four-day break in Noosa, a beautiful Sunshine Coast resort town in Queensland, which was booked by head coach Brendon McCullum a year in advance for players’ refreshment.

However, things turned ugly as England lost their third Test in a row, handing Australia the Ashes with two matches still to play.

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Following the video, the ECB confirmed the probe and noted that they will follow the necessary protocols for a thorough investigation.

“We are aware of content circulating on social media,” the board said.

“We have high expectations for behaviour, accepting that players are often under intense levels of scrutiny, with established processes that we follow when conduct falls below expectations. We also support players that need assistance,” it added.

“We will not comment further at this stage while we establish the facts.”

For the unversed, Ben Duckett is going through a poor run in the Ashes, managing just 97 at an average of 16.`16 with a highest score of 29.

Notably, this is not the first time the 31-year-old has been under scrutiny for disciplinary conduct.

Eight years ago, Duckett, who was part of the Lions squad for the 2017-18 series, was sent back home with a fine and a suspension by the ECB for pouring a drink over James Anderson.

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Former England cricket chief Andrew Strauss has warned that removing coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes will not be enough to change a “depressingly one-sided story” in Australia following another painful Ashes defeat.

Strauss, 48, was the last England captain to win an away Ashes series, when his team triumphed 3-1 in 2010-11.

Since then, England’s record has been pitiful; they have lost 16 and drawn just two of their Tests in Australia.

McCullum and Stokes are under pressure after the visitors went 3-0 down in the series on Sunday, with two matches still to play.

But Strauss, England’s director of cricket from 2015 to 2018, has urged those within the game to avoid knee-jerk responses.

In the aftermath of England’s previous defeat in Australia, a 4-0 loss in 2021-22, Strauss led a high-performance review of the domestic game.

His eventual report made numerous suggestions, including cutting the number of first-class matches, restructuring the domestic game and focusing on incentivising elite player development, but they were largely thrown out by the English counties.

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Although he made no reference to the review in a wide-ranging post on the social network LinkedIn on Monday, Andrew Strauss appears to be arguing for a fresh look at such proposals.

“So there it is, another ambitious set of England cricketers made the journey to Australia, full of hope and optimism, only for their dreams to come crashing down around them after only 11 days of cricket,” he wrote.

“McCullum and Stokes will come under extreme scrutiny for the decisions they took in preparation for this tour in the same way that (Ashley) Giles and (Chris) Silverwood did after the last tour. And Andy Flower after 2013/14 and Duncan Fletcher after 2006/07.”

He added, “While they will know that this goes with the territory, none of the above are responsible for England losing so incredibly consistently in Australia since 1986/87.

“We have been badly mauled time after time over there because Australia are a better team, served by a better high-performance system.

“If we are genuinely serious about changing this depressingly one-sided story, then we need to look beyond sacking England coaches and captains and ask whether we are genuinely willing to make the changes necessary to break the trend.”

READ: Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon ruled out of remainder of Ashes

Australia skipper Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon were on Tuesday ruled out of the final two Ashes Tests against England, with the veteran spinner facing surgery and an extended period on the sidelines.

Quick bowler Jhye Richardson and spinner Todd Murphy were named as cover in a 15-man squad for the fourth Test starting on Friday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Australia have already retained the famous urn with eight-wicket wins in Perth and Brisbane and an 82-run victory in Adelaide.

Cummins “won’t play any part in the rest of the series”, coach Andrew McDonald told cricket.com.au.

He returned from a lower back injury to lead Australia to victory in Adelaide in his first Test since July, taking six wickets in the match.

“That was a discussion that we had a long time ago about his return. Yeah, we were taking on some risk. We’ve now won the series, and that was the goal,” said McDonald.

Cummins will now target full fitness for the month-long Twenty20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, starting in early February.

“To position him for further risk and jeopardise him long term is not something that we want to do,” said McDonald.

“Pat’s really comfortable with that. If he had any setback in the build-in as well, we would have shut him down straight away.”

Steve Smith, who captained the team in Cummins’ absence during the first two Tests, will lead the side again in Melbourne after missing Adelaide with vertigo symptoms.

Usman Khawaja replaced Smith at number four in the Adelaide Test, scoring 82 and 40.

Lyon, 38, damaged his right hamstring saving a boundary on day five in Adelaide, fielding and hobbled off.

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He claimed his 564th wicket in the match to move clear of fellow Australian great Glenn McGrath and into sixth on the all-time Test bowling list.

“Nathan Lyon will have surgery on a torn right hamstring, which will sideline him for an extended period,” Cricket Australia said.

Lyon’s replacement, Murphy, is in line to play his first home Test. His seven previous appearances for Australia all came overseas. His last was in Sri Lanka earlier this year.

Richardson was included after a four-year Test absence, during which he underwent three shoulder surgeries.

Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc are likely to lead the seam attack after recovering well from Adelaide, with Michael Neser, Brendan Doggett and Richardson battling to join them.

McDonald paid tribute to 35-year-old Starc, who has sent down close to 100 overs in the series so far and remains in good shape.

“Starc’s amazing. He’s pulled up fine,” McDonald said of the leading bowler in the series.

Starc has taken 22 wickets in the three Ashes Tests so far at an average of 17.04, including a career best innings return of 7-58 in Perth.

He has also contributed 150 valuable runs with the bat down the order.

“He keeps running in and presenting the pace that he does,” said McDonald. “There’s a lot to be learned around preparing yourself and targeting the right matches at the right time.”

Australia squad: Steve Smith (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

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England head coach Brendon McCullum is unsure about his future but maintained that the Three Lions are not a ‘finished article’ with two Tests left in the Ashes against Australia.

This comes after England’s 3-0 drubbing in the Ashes series, despite two matches still remaining.

England were unable to put up a fight in the opening three matches, resulting in their fourth series loss down under since their 2011 triumph.

The head coach is unsure about his future ahead of the 2026 England summer, in which they will face New Zealand and Pakistan.

“I don’t know,” he said when questioned about his future with the Three Lions.  “It’s not really up to me, is it?

“I’ll just keep trying to do the job, try to learn the lessons that [we] haven’t quite got right here and try to make some adjustments. Those questions are for someone else, not for me,” he added.

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He emphasized the goals and fun that come with a bunch of England players, noting that he aims to bring out the best in them.

“It’s a pretty good gig. It’s good fun. You travel the world with the lads and try to play some exciting cricket and try to achieve some things … For me, it’s a matter of trying to just get the very best out of the people and try to achieve what you can with them.”

The 44-year-old mentioned the side’s progress since taking over and stressed that England should play the kind of cricket they have been known for over the past couple of years.

“Those other decisions are up to other people. But from my point of view, I’m enjoying the time that I’ve got with these guys, and I think we’ve made some progress from when I took over to where we are,” McCullum reiterated.

“We’re not the finished article, but I think we’ve definitely improved as a cricket team.

We’ve had an identity about us. Now’s the time for us in the last two Tests to really show that identity and try to salvage something from it,” the head coach concluded.

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Coach Brendon McCullum concedes England got their preparations wrong heading into the Ashes, but believes they can salvage some pride in the final two Tests against Australia at Melbourne and Sydney.

The tourists arrived in Australia bullish that they could win a series in the country for the first time since 2010-11.

But their hopes imploded with heavy defeats in Perth and Brisbane before a closer contest at Adelaide, leaving the ultra-aggressive “Bazball” style of cricket McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes pioneered in tatters.

Their Ashes demise in just 11 days was the joint-second quickest in more than a century.

England had just one warm-up fixture in Australia, against their second-tier Lions side, and lost the opening Test in Perth inside two days.

Former captains Ian Botham, Michael Vaughan and Graham Gooch all criticised the limited preparation, with disgruntled skipper Ben Stokes sparking a backlash after calling them “has beens”.

They then opted to skip a pink-ball opportunity in Canberra before the day-night second Test at the Gabba, instead spending five days in the Brisbane nets.

Like Perth, that Test was lost by eight wickets and McCullum bizarrely claimed they had “overprepared”.

“What did we get right? What did we get wrong? Probably we go back to the preparation, that’ll be something that gets questioned,” McCullum told TNT Sports after the 82-run Adelaide defeat.

“And when you’ve lost 3-0, you need to put your hand up and say, ‘maybe I didn’t get that preparation right’.

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“It’s not just leading into the first game. It’s could we have done more leading into game one, and could we have done less leading into game two?

“I didn’t get that right because we lost 3-0. Lots to digest, look through and be better next time.”

The fourth Test starts in Melbourne on December 26, and England could freshen up the side.

An under-performing Ollie Pope is facing the axe with Jacob Bethell waiting in the wings, but their options are limited, and Brendon McCullum said they would not be looking outside the squad they have.

“We’ll have a look at the conditions (in Melbourne) and, as we always do, we’ll try and work out what we think will give us the best chance in that game,” he said.

“If that’s changed, it’s changed. If it’s not, it’s not. We’ll assess that when we get to Melbourne.”

England at least showed more fight in Adelaide as they chased what would have been a world record 435 to win.

McCullum admitted they had been outplayed across all three Tests, but said he saw encouraging signs in Adelaide and “we do have a great opportunity in the next two Tests”.

“We need to find something out of this tour, salvage some pride and play for all the people who have come to Australia to support this team and all the people back in England who have supported this team as well,” he said.

“If we get into that state where we just play the game and immerse yourself in the state of what needs to be done and allow your talent to come out in pressure situations, then you’ve got every opportunity.”

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