Ashes: 20 Wickets Fall On Opening Day Of Boxing Day Test

A staggering 20 wickets fell on the first day of the Boxing Day Ashes Test match being played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). It is the joint third-most to fall on Day 1 of an Ashes Test ever.

England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl first. His decision to bowl was vindicated as the visitors bowled out Australia for just 152. It is Australia's second lowest score in the series after they were cleaned up on 132 in their first innings of the first Test played in Perth.

The star of England's brilliant show with the ball was pacer Josh Tongue who picked his maiden five-wicket haul (5/45)in Australia. By dismissing five Australian batters the the pacer became the first England bowler to take a five-for in a men's Test at the MCG since Dean Headley in 1998.

England's bowling infused the team with much-needed confidence, which is fighting hard to save itself from the embarrassment of a series clean-sweep. The visitors have lost the first three Tests and are tailing the series 0-3.

But England's batting killed the team's any hope of revival as the team was was cleaned up on a paltry score of 110, thus handing Australia a slender 42-run lead. Pacers Michael Neser (4/45) and Scott Boland (3/30) combined to pick seven English wickets.

Such was the bowlers' domination on the day that the combined overs for which the Australia's and England's respective first innings lasted was 75.1.

Neser, playing his first Test of the series, emerged as Australia's unlikely hero as he had scored 35 runs off 49 balls earlier in the day.

With England bowled out on 110, Boland and Travis Head walked to open Australia's second innings. Australia were 4/0 at close of play.

The proceedings at the MCG was enjoyed by 94,199 spectators. It was the highest recorded attended at the stadium for a cricket match after the 2015 ODI World Cup final which was attended by 93,013 people.