Ashes 2025-26: England capitulate after Josh Tongue's five-for floors Australia on day 1 of MCG Test

England's nightmare down under continued on day 1 of the Boxing Day Test as they conceded a massive advantage after Josh Tongue's five-for bundled Australia out for just 152 in 45.2 overs.

After Tongue's remarkable spell, England plummeted to 16 for the loss of four wickets in just eight overs as Mitchell Starc and Michael Neser ran riot with the new Kookaburra. Starc accounted for Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, whereas Neser got rid of Joe Root and Jacob Bethell.

Duckett endured another horrid outing, scoring just 2. He has accumulated just 99 runs at a paltry average of 14.14 with a top score of just 29. Bethell couldn't impress on his Ashes debut as he was nicked off by Neser for 1.

A 50-run stand between Harry Brook and Ben Stokes brought a sense of calm to England's frenzied dressing room. Brook counterattacked and looked gutsy as he used his feet against the Aussie seamers and tried to put them off their length.

His 34-ball 41 included two boundaries and as many sixes, but an excellent nip-backer by Scott Boland put an end to his enterprising innings. Boland got one to jag back in sharply off the seam, hitting Brook on the knee roll, and he didn't bother to review.

Boland got another delivery to nip back and exposed the technical snag in Jamie Smith's defence as the English wicketkeeper fell for just 2. Boland claimed his third of the day, dismissing Will Jacks for just 5, and brought the capacity crowd (highest ever for a cricket game) at the 'G' to life.

Stokes and Gus Atkinson (28) showed some resilience, but it wasn't enough as Australia restricted the tourists to just 110, gaining a healthy 42-run lead. Neser was the pick of all the Aussie bowlers, claiming 4/45 while Boland and Starc finished with three and two wickets respectively.

Earlier in the day, Stokes won the toss and put the hosts in on a tricky surface. His decision was vindicated by the bowling pair of Tongue and Atkinson, who made the most of the conditions.

Atkinson forced Travis Head to chop one onto his stumps, whereas Tongue nicked Jake Weatherald off to the wicketkeeper to reduce Australia to 31 for 2. Tongue proved too hot to handle for Marnus Labuschagne (6) and Steve Smith (9) as they were forced to make their way to the sheds soon.

The lower middle order showed some character as Usman Khawaja (29), Alex Carey (20), Cameron Green (17), and Neser (35) chipped in with healthy contributions. However, none of them kicked on to get a big score as Tongue claimed a five-wicket haul, becoming the first English bowler since Dean Headley in 1998 to achieve the feat in a Boxing Day Test at the MCG.