Australia v England: fourth Ashes Test, day one

Australia on the ropes as England take four wickets before lunch

31st over: Australia 91-5 (Carey 20, Green 0) Atkinson continues – his 12th over out of 16 from his end. Again, there’s just one run and again it’s a flick from Carey.

A note of caution from Andrew Benton for England fans. “This Australian brain fade won’t last long, I fear,” he says. “England will be bowling to keep the score below 400 by the end of the day. The Aussies recover well from setbacks.”

30th over:

Australia 90-5 (Carey 19, Green 0) The partnership was 38, so that wicket came at the right time for England. Now they’d love to get Carey too. Stokes, who bounced him out in the second innings at Adelaide, tries the same trick without the same result. Carey escapes with a tuck off his pads, the only run from the over.

29th over:Australia 89-5 (Carey 18, Green 0) Khawaja just hit his best shot of the day, an off-drive. But Atkinson produced an instant riposte and now he has a well-deserved second wicket: 11-4-21-2.

Australia vs England, Ashes 4th Test day 1 SCORE:

Hello and a very warm welcome to day one of the fourth Test of the 2025-26 Ashes, live from the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

England‘s Ashes tour, which started with high hopes of reclaiming the urn, has devolved into a desperate attempt to salvage some dignity as they approach one of the greatest occasions on the sporting calendar, the Boxing Day Test.

Big Picture: Can England stop the wheels falling off?

While some might say that the point has already been reached at 3-0 down, there is a sense that this tour could descend into chaos for England with the Ashes gone. The build-up to the Boxing Day Test has become dominated by the continued fallout from their mid-series trip to Noosa, firstly with director of cricket Rob Key saying claims of too much drinking would be investigated and then, a few hours later, video emerging of Ben Duckett late at night.

Captain Ben Stokes looked emotional when talking to the media on Christmas Eve, saying that he will do everything in his power to protect his players. He insisted there was still the belief that they could take something from this tour, but stopped short of echoing Zak Crawley’s comments that 3-2 wouldn’t be such a bad scoreline.

If England can play as they did for the latter half of the Adelaide Test they may stand a chance against an Australia side that won’t be at full strength, although that was also the case in the first two Tests and still, to a lesser extent, given last week Josh Hazlewood has not featured at all. Having not really answered a question about where this Australia side compares to others he faced when asked after Adelaide, ahead of the fourth Test, Stokes said: “I hope it doesn’t get lost, but this Australian team is very, very good.”

Pat Cummins declared it “job done” after Adelaide with the Ashes retained, but while the major prize is secured, their drive is now for a whitewash and important World Test Championship points. In 2021-22 they were denied 5-0 when England survived nine down at the SCG while in 2017-18 it was Alastair Cook’s double ton on a featherbed MCG surface that forced the stalemate. This team is looking to emulate 2006-07 and 2013-14 in sending England home with absolutely nothing.

However, for Cummins himself, it is mission accomplished: he will not feature in the remainder of the series with the decision made that there is no value in risking long-term damage to his back, after a remarkable comeback to bowl brilliantly in Adelaide after five months with no cricket.

As in Brisbane, Australia will be without three of the big four but this time Nathan Lyon has been sidelined by injury rather than selection. However, they opted against a like-for-like replacement, leaving out Todd Murphy in what will be an all-pace attack for the second time in the series. It could include Jhye Richardson for the first time in four years and there is a sense of the next generation getting closer to their moment.

In terms of the Australia’s side post-Ashes, the most intriguing decision was around Usman Khawaja who scored 82 and 40 in Adelaide after a last minute recall to replace the ill Steven Smith. That has been enough for him to keep his place in the middle and his career could now play out on his terms. Australia will make more changes than England, but their adaptability and pragmatism has been a hallmark of this series.

In the spotlight: Jake Weatherald and Jacob Bethell

Largely by accident, Australia has stumbled across a new opening pair. Jake Weatherald and Travis Head had two significant impacts together in the second innings in Perth and the first in Brisbane. Weatherald played superbly at the Gabba for his tone-setting 72, but away from that the returns have been a little lean even though he would have saved himself with the DRS in the second innings in Adelaide. The selectors will be desperate to stop the revolving door but Weatherald probably needs one more substantial score in this series to avoid months of speculation before Australia play Tests again in August.

Is Jacob Bethell, who has yet to score a first-class century, truly the next big thing in English batting? After pre-series talk that he may challenge Ollie Pope for the No. 3 spot the change has come with the Ashes gone after the Pope’s increasingly underwhelming series to continue a year of diminishing returns. Bethell averages 28.27 in 26 first-class with his high score of 96 coming in a Test against New Zealand. He scored half-centuries in all three second innings of that series in 2024. His left-arm spin will provide another option for Ben Stokes alongside Will Jacks.

Aus 91-6

published at 32 overs
32 overs
Wicket maiden from Ben Stokes.

The English captain should give himself a pat on the back for the way that wicket came about.

He brought Zak Crawley into leg slip and the next ball, Alex Carey flicked it straight to him.

Michael Neser is in at eight, he joins Cameron Green. Two batters yet to score for England to attack.

Aus 93-6
published at 33 overs
33 overs
Beauty from Gus Atkinson, whistling the ball millimetres past Cameron Green’s bat as the batter prods forward.

Green is off the mark next ball, though, clipping through square leg for two.

It was good tactics.

That’s very much a Ben Stokes dismissal, he appears to have that knack.

England have the rub of the green.

I do not think that we will be here for five days.

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