The opening day of the Boxing Day Test between England and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) turned into a fast bowler's paradise, witnessing a dramatic collapse of 20 wickets on Friday, December 26, 2025. The day was marked by record attendance and notable absentee, Australian captain Pat Cummins, who chose to rest for the remaining Ashes Tests ahead of the T20 World Cup.
A Pitch That Made Bowlers Dream
The MCG surface, with its significant grass cover, offered immense assistance to the seamers right from the start. Former Australian speedster Brett Lee, analysing the pitch on Fox Cricket, expressed that the conditions were overwhelmingly in favour of the quicks. "I think there's a bit too much in it," Lee remarked. "I rubbed my hand on the side of the wicket this morning, and you can feel the grass lift up." He humorously added that the sight would have tempted the resting skipper, Pat Cummins, to rush back to the team hotel. "Cummo was almost going to go back to the hotel to pick up his spikes," Lee said.
This sentiment was echoed by ex-captain Mark Waugh, who was critical of the excessive movement. Commenting on a Scott Boland delivery that seamed sharply, Waugh stated, "I'm not really liking what I'm seeing so far. It's just a bit too much in favour of the quicker bowlers. That's gone a mile."
Scorecard Tells a Story of Dominant Bowling
The havoc on the pitch was reflected clearly in the scoreboard. Australia, batting first, were skittled out for a paltry 152 runs in 45.2 overs. The chief destroyer was England pacer Josh Tongue, who exploited the conditions brilliantly to claim a five-wicket haul.
England's reply was equally feeble. The visitors could only muster 110 runs in 29.5 overs in their first innings. The lone resistance came from Harry Brook, who played a brisk knock of 41 runs off just 34 balls. For Australia, paceman Michael Neser was the standout, finishing with impressive figures of 4 for 45 from his 10 overs.
Record Crowd and Player Perspectives
Despite the batting carnage, fans flocked to the iconic stadium, setting a new single-day attendance record at the MCG. A massive crowd of 94,442 spectators turned up, breaking the previous record of 93,013.
Speaking after the day's play, Michael Neser, who had earlier taken a five-wicket haul in Brisbane, explained the bowling strategy. "The ball definitely nipped around a bit there with the new rock... when we bowled, we had to just be patient and let the wicket do the work," he said. Neser also advised batters to adopt an aggressive approach to counter the dominant bowlers, acknowledging that "at times that's the only way to score: be brave and come at them."
The day's events set up the Test match for a potentially swift conclusion, highlighting the impact of the pitch and leaving many to wonder what might have been if Australian spearhead Pat Cummins had been leading the attack on such a favourable surface.
