The Ashes: Boxing Day Test in fast forward, with six-wicket collapse set to trigger two-day match

England need just 175 runs to finally land a blow in the Ashes series on a bizarre day of cricket in Melbourne.

Australia has set the tourists the meagre final-innings chase on day two of the Boxing Day Test, which has been in fast forward since the start, with 30 wickets filing less than halfway through the fifth session.

It’s England’s greatest opportunity yet at winning their first Test in Australia since 2011.

A second two-day match in the same series now appears almost certain, with Cricket Australia staring down another significant financial shortfall.

This match is almost exactly the inverse of the bonkers series-opener in Perth last month, where Travis Head scored a century to lead Australia to a fourth-innings chase that was the biggest score of the entire match in the evening session on day two.

That would bring about another heavy financial blow for the governing body during its most lucrative series. It is believed CA lost millions on each of three days lost when the Perth Test wrapped up quickly and the blow would be greater in Melbourne given the monster crowd numbers.

And amid the chaos on Saturday, Cam Green’s spot in the Test side is in serious jeopardy. After running himself out in the first innings, the West Australian all-rounder played a horrid shot at a Ben Stokes delivery wide and short outside-off and was caught by Harry Brook.

It comes with Beau Webster still in Australia’s squad as its back-up all-rounder.

Green was one of four Aussie wickets to fall inside just xx minutes in the middle session. Michael Neser was caught-and-bowled by Brydon Carse for a five-ball duck shortly after Green fell and Mitchell Starc was caught behind also without scoring.

The hosts slumped to 6-98 at the lunch break, with Travis Head’s 46 their top score.

In-form wicketkeeper Alex Carey was dismissed just before lunch for four, caught by a diving Brook in the cordon

The MCG wicket came under fire on the first day for offering bowlers too much movement and showed no signs of improving for the batters on Saturday, with Marnus Labuschagne copping two blows to the hand from balls that jumped off a good length before he was dismissed.

Scott Boland was the first of the Australian batters to go after his final-over heroics in Friday’s evening session. He was caught behind off Gus Atkinson after revving up a raucous home crowd by reaching six off 17 balls.

Jake Weatherald’s Test career is now hanging by a thread. He fell for five, bowled by England captain Ben Stokes, having sent Boland out to cover for him overnight. He has scored 146 runs at 24.85 in his eight Test knocks.

Labuschagne was caught by Joe Root at third slip in a tight call that was checked by the third umpire, much to the batter’s frustration.

Usman Khawaja’s spot — which he regained after a late call-up in Adelaide — will also come under scrutiny after he launched into a hook shot off Tongue that landed with sub-fielder Ollie Pope at fine leg for a second-ball duck.

Green wore a body blow from the bowling of Carse in the moments before the lunch break. He then edged a streaky boundary behind square on the off-side on the final ball.

Jhye Richardson was the final wicket to ball when he skied a ball off Stokes after a bizarre passage of play where a set Smith took singles off the first ball of three consecutive overs. Richardson struck a driven boundary in his seven off nine deliveries.

Australia’s collapse has also saved England from a fast-bowling shortage, with Atkinson limping off the field during the first session for treatment on what appears to be a left hamstring injury.