Boxing Day Test 2025: Australia v England fourth Ashes Test, day two – live updates

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

A record 94,199 spectators turned up to the MCG on Boxing Day and none will forget what they witnessed. An extraordinary 20 wickets fell on a pitch offering lavish movement and it left Cricket Australia fearing a second multimillion-dollar loss in this Ashes series.

The first of these came in Perth, when a two-day bunfight triggered mass refunds and had visiting fans scrambling to book sightseeing trips. This fourth Test always had the ingredients for a repeat, not just a surface with 10mm of grass but also a touring side in England who, having lost the Ashes and with criticism flying, looked broken before the coin even went up.

It actually landed in their favour here, Ben Stokes calling correctly, inserting his opponents without hesitation, and watching Josh Tongue skittle Australia for 152 before tea. Tongue was full value for his figures of five for 45, with his natural angle in, fuller length, and wobble seam asking more questions than one of the University Challenge Christmas specials.

However, for all the echoes of England’s famous Boxing Day performance here in 2010, there was also a nagging sense that, this time, it was signposting an ordeal for the batters. That ordeal ultimately came to pass in a crazed final session when England fell to 16 for four inside eight overs and, courtesy of Michael Neser’s four for 45, ended up 110 all out in 29.5.

Preamble

Hello and welcome to live, over-by-over coverage of the second and final day at the MCG. After a first day that was somehow both bonkers and kind of predictable, Australia will resume on 4 for 0 in their second innings, a lead of 46.

Nobody has a clue whether the spicy Melbourne pitch will get easier for batting on day two – or even tougher as the pitch quickens up. There are parallels with the first Test at Perth, when England took a first-innings lead of 40 and were hammered by eight wickets a few hours later. But precedents and logic don’t seem to count for much – not in a world where Will Jacks is England’s spinner, Scott Boland is opening the batting for Australia and England are under the pump due to a combination of Noosa and Neser.

The only guarantee is that today’s play will not be dull. Might as well just strap yourselves in and enjoy the ride.