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New Delhi: Twenty wickets fell on a wild opening day of the Boxing Day Test on Friday as Australia fought back in remarkable fashion to keep their noses in front in the fourth match of the Ashes series in Melbourne .
Australia were skittled out for 152 in 45.2 overs after being invited to bat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as Josh Tongue led spearheaded the tourists' bowling attack with 5 for 45.
But his efforts were undone as England were shot out for 110 in 29.5 overs, which meant the Aussies had to come into bat again for one over on which they scored four runs to have an overall lead of 46.
It is England’s third lowest all-out total in an away Ashes Test since 2000, after 68 in Melbourn in 2021 and 79 in Brisbane in 2002.
On a grassy pitch, Aussie batters were not comfortable but their English counterparts were even more guilty as a record crowd of 93,442, surpassing the stadium's previous record of 93,013 for a day of cricket at the 2015 World Cup final, saw a constant churn of wickets.
England have already surrendered the series after three straight defeats and approached this match on the back of reports that some players had enjoyed far too many drinks during a trip to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
But they would have felt a great deal better with their work in the field early on but the alarm bells soon rang for them as their top order collapsed.
Opener Ben Duckett was out for two, bobbling Mitchell Starc's ball with an unbalanced drive at mid-on to Michael Neser.
No.3 Jacob Bethell, in for the dropped Ollie Pope, departed for one before Neser had him caught behind, while opener Zak Crawley edged Starc to Smith in the slips for five.
Root was took the long walk back for a 15-ball duck, his second of the series, nicking Neser (4/54) behind.
Harry Brook and Stokes put together a 50-run partnership but a triple-strike from Scott Boland (3/30) punctured plan of a revival.
He trapped Brook leg before for 41, bowled a Jamie Smith through the gate for two and then induced an edge from all-rounder Will Jacks behind the wicket for five.
