The Ashes Recap: Follow the action from Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and England
Scott Boland has lit up the G once again to smash through the England before opening the batting in the second innings. Stay across the latest action from the MCG here!
Cricket: Australia are eyeing an Ashes whitewash - and the bulk of the bumper crowd on hand at the MCG is hoping to watch it happen.
The Aussies may have wrapped up the series inside just 11 days, but they’re keen to put the foot on the throat even in the absence of star bowling duo Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon.
Can they continue to roll, or will BazBalling England finally provide some stern resistance?
Follow the latest below, with play set to start at 10.30am EDT (7.30am WA time).
Key events
26 Dec 2025 - 03:24 PM
Analysis
26 Dec 2025 - 03:12 PM
STUMPS AUSTRALIA 0-4 lead by 46 runs
26 Dec 2025 - 02:59 PM
SCOTT BOLAND IS GOING TO OPEN AT THE G!
26 Dec 2025 - 02:49 PM
ENGLAND ALL OUT 110
26 Dec 2025 - 02:22 PM
CARSE HOLES OUT!
26 Dec 2025 - 02:09 PM
NESER REMOVES STOKES
26 Dec 2025 - 02:02 PM
BOLAND’S ON FIRE AT THE G
26 Dec 2025 - 01:50 PM
BOWLED HIM! Smith’s gone
26 Dec 2025 - 01:41 PM
BOLAND GETS BROOK
26 Dec 2025 - 12:57 PM
ROOT’S GONE! England in tatters!
26 Dec 2025 - 12:38 PM
WICKET Crawley ct Smith b Starc
26 Dec 2025 - 12:35 PM
WICKET Bethell LBW Neser 1
26 Dec 2025 - 12:28 PM
WICKET Duckett ct Neser b Starc 2
26 Dec 2025 - 11:57 AM
INNINGS BREAK - AUS ALL OUT 152
26 Dec 2025 - 11:54 AM
TONGUE HAS FIVE AUSTRALIA ALL OUT 152
26 Dec 2025 - 11:51 AM
BOWLED HIM NESER GOES!
26 Dec 2025 - 11:48 AM
Starc goes Australia eight down!
26 Dec 2025 - 11:35 AM
GREEN’S RUN HIMSELF OUT
26 Dec 2025 - 10:42 AM
CAREY GOES, STOKES STRIKES
26 Dec 2025 - 10:30 AM
Jaffa gets Khawaja
26 Dec 2025 - 09:34 AM
LUNCH - AUSTRALIA 4-72
26 Dec 2025 - 09:06 AM
BOWLED HIM SMITH FALLS!
26 Dec 2025 - 08:28 AM
Tongue gets Marnus again
26 Dec 2025 - 08:17 AM
WEATHERALD FALLS!
26 Dec 2025 - 07:59 AM
BOWLED HIM! Head b Atkinson 12
26 Dec 2025 - 07:05 AM
Richardson is back
31st Over: AUS 5-91
On the pads and Carey flicks a single to midwicket.
Green survives the rest
30th Over: AUS 5-90
Carey gets a single into the leg-side.
Green defends outside off
29th Over: AUS 5-89
Green comes in under all sorts of pressure and is a nervous starter at the best of times.
He leaves the first ball.
Jaffa gets Khawaja
Atkinson honing into off-stump.
SHOT! Goes full and Khawaja is onto it, driving past mid-off for four.
GONE NEXT BALL! Not much he could’ve done there as Atkinson gets one to seam away and Khawaja gets a thin edge through to Smith trying to defend his stumps.
Not given out but England waste no time in reviewing and another one falls.
It doesn’t move a whole lot, but enough to get the edgeas Khawaja pushed hard at it.
28th Over: AUS 4-85
Stokes to Carey who pulls one off the hip.
Full and Khawaja drives a single. Stokes is finding some movement back into the lefthanders.
Overpitched and Carey pushes two through the covers
27th Over: AUS 4-81
Gets some width and Carey skews two through the backward point off a drive.
He gets another brace behind square off his pads.
An inside edge gets him off-strike with one.
BEAUTY. Shapes away off the angle to beat Khawaja’s defence.
We’re back - AUS 4-76
Ben Stokes to roll the arm over after lunch with Khawaja on strikes.
Can he back up the good work by his charges this morning?
Khawaja is defending off-stump.
Full and a misfield and mid-off allows Khawaja to run two.
On leg-stump and flicked for a single.
Goes for the yorker as Carey digs it out.
On the pads and flicked for a single.
Wrap-up of the first session
Here’s what you’ve missed if you’re still working off that Christmas cheer
LUNCH - AUSTRALIA 4-72
A terrific session from England led by Josh Tongue who has 3-24, including the big wickets of Smith and Labuschagne.
Atkinson too bowled a fine spell with good control to remove Head but Brydon Carse was loose to continue a tough tour.
There’s plenty of life in this pitch and the overcast conditions have not made it easy for batting but all four Australian dismissals came from some loose strokes.
Khawaja looked solid at the crease as did Carey but there’s a long way back but with Richardson and Neser Australia have a deep tail.
25h Over: AUS 4-72
Atkinson for what should be the last over before lunch.
Carey can’t beat the field with his legside flick.
Oof! Carey is beaten by a beauty that seams away off the angle.
He gets off strike with a single round the corner.
Khawaja flicks a single from off stump to square leg.
Carey leaves the last and the pair survive until lunch
