In a stunning display of fast bowling, England's Josh Tongue carved his name into the record books on Boxing Day at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The fiery pacer secured the first five-wicket haul by an English bowler in an MCG Test match in the 21st century, igniting a fight for pride despite the Ashes series already being lost.
A Spell of Raw Fury and National Pride
With the urn already retained by Australia and England's long winless streak Down Under stretching back to the 2010/11 tour, the visitors took the field with a point to prove. Tongue, channeling a potent mix of raw fury and national pride, delivered a devastating spell that ripped through the Australian batting lineup. His effort overshadowed the previous MCG five-fors by Englishmen Darren Gough and Dean Headley, which dated all the way back to 1998.
How the Dramatic Collapse Unfolded
The day began with Gus Atkinson setting the tone, dismissing the dangerous Travis Head for 12 runs. Then, Josh Tongue took center stage with a fiery burst that dismantled the famed Australian middle order. He clean bowled Jake Weatherald for 10, before claiming the massive scalps of Steve Smith for 9 and Marnus Labuschagne for just 6 runs.
This devastating spell reduced Australia to a precarious 51 for 4 by the drinks break and 72 for 4 at the first interval. Tongue's dominance over Smith was particularly notable, making it his third dismissal of the star batter in three encounters. He has now conceded only 35 runs off 69 balls to Smith, averaging a remarkable 11.66 against him.
After lunch, Ben Stokes and Atkinson struck to drag Australia further down to 91 for 6. A counter-attacking partnership of 52 runs between Cameron Green (17) and Michael Neser (35) offered brief resistance. However, a sharp run-out ended that threat, paving the way for Tongue to return and mop up the tail. He dismissed both Neser and Scott Boland, wrapping up the Australian innings for a paltry 152 all out in just 45.2 overs. Usman Khawaja was the top-scorer with a patient 29.
A Rare Home Collapse for Australia
This dramatic batting collapse marks only the third instance since the year 2000 that Australia has been bowled out inside 50 overs in a home Ashes Test. It echoes their dismal 98 all out in 42.5 overs at the same venue in 2010, and their 132 all out in 45.2 overs during the Perth Test earlier in this very series. Tongue's final figures of 5 wickets for a modest sum were the standout performance, fueling England's push to salvage pride in the remaining matches of the series.
