Josh Tongue scripted history as he became the first England bowler this century to achieve a five-wicket haul in Men’s Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the Boxing Day Test on Friday.
Tongue’s Impressive Figures
Tongue recorded figures of 5-45 in Australia’s first innings, which ended at 152 all out. Despite England trailing 3-0 in the series, Tongue’s performance helped bowl out Australia for 152, adding crucial momentum for the visitors.
Breaking a Long Drought
This marked the first instance of an England bowler securing a five-wicket haul at the MCG since Darren Gough and Dean Headley accomplished it in 1998. Tongue’s achievement ended a 27-year wait and injected some life into the Ashes series that Australia has already retained.
Personal Best for Tongue
The spell was Tongue’s most fruitful in Test cricket, surpassing his previous best of 5/66 against Ireland at Lord’s in 2023. He is now set up for a hat-trick in Australia’s second innings after dismissing Scott Boland (0) and Michael Neser (35) with the final two deliveries of the hosts’ first innings.
Bowling Dominance
Australia struggled to find a solid start against a stellar bowling performance from England after opting to field first. Tongue took three of the top four Australian batters, resulting in the loss of four wickets during the morning session.
Usman Khawaja was dismissed in the fourth over after lunch due to a successful review. Alex Carey was unable to rescue his team, falling into a leg slip trap. Just when batting seemed to stabilize, Cameron Green was run out. Michael Neser contributed a valuable 35 runs, including seven boundaries, but Tongue returned to conclude the innings, marking his career’s third Test fifer.
Massive Crowd at MCG
A massive crowd was confirmed at the MCG, with 93,442 spectators in attendance, a figure that may continue to grow.