Melbourne, Dec 26(UNI): The Melbourne Cricket Ground turned back the clock on Friday, serving up a throwback to Test cricket’s wild, unpredictable past as wickets fell in a steady stream through a breathless opening day of the Australia–England Test.
By stumps, 20 wickets had crashed, batters rarely settled and bowlers barely paused for breath, making it one of the most dramatic first days seen at the MCG in decades. The 2025/26 Ashes contest now sits alongside some of the most infamous days in the ground’s long history, recalling an era when survival, not strokeplay, was the prime currency.
Only once has the MCG witnessed greater destruction in a single day — the legendary 1901/02 Ashes Test, when 25 wickets fell on Day One.
Friday’s mayhem matches the carnage of two other Melbourne Tests, Australia vs South Africa in 1931/32 and Australia vs England in 1894/95, both remembered for their sudden collapses and restless scoreboards.
Across Australia too, the day stands out. Very few Tests have seen so many wickets tumble on the opening day, a reminder of how rare such collective batting failure is in the modern game. The scenes evoked memories of Adelaide in 1951/52 and other lost chapters when bowlers ruled without compromise.
In Ashes terms, the significance is just as striking. Twenty wickets on Day One places this Test among the most chaotic starts the rivalry has known, alongside famous encounters at The Oval, Old Trafford and earlier Melbourne clashes that still echo in cricket folklore.
For spectators, it was a day of constant movement and mounting tension — no long partnerships, no periods of calm, just relentless pressure. More than the numbers, it was the mood that lingered: a reminder that even in an age of heavy bats and flat pitches, the MCG can still summon drama as raw and unforgiving as it did more than a century ago.
On the first day of the fourth test on Friday at the MCG, when Australia was bowled out for 152 by England, the visitors could make only 110 in their chase. Australia nightwatchman Scott Boland was four not out with Travis Head yet to score as the hosts went to stumps at four for no loss in their second innings, carrying a 46-run lead over England.
MCG rolls back years with wicket-feast on Day 1
