The series may be gone after defeat in Adelaide, but England at least salvaged some pride in the fourth Test of the Ashes. Having lost the first two Tests by eight wickets and the third by 82 runs, Ben Stokes’ men came out on top by four wickets in just two days of cricket at the MCG.
Before the latest Ashes series, there hadn’t been a two-day Test between England and Australia for 104 years. Following the crazy Test in Perth, we have now had two in the space of a few short weeks. This is the first time since 1896 that a Test series between any cricketing nations has featured two two-day Tests.
For England, this represented the first Test win in Australia since 2011 – a drought spanning 5,648 days. The 18 clashes since that success in Sydney had produced 16 wins for the hosts and two draws. The madcap victory must be particularly satisfying for Ben Stokes and Joe Root, who won their first Test in Australia after 12 years of trying.
Image credit: Ameel Khan, flickr.
Twenty Wickets Tumble on Opening Day
In the lead-up to the fourth Test, much of the talk centred on the state of the MCG surface. With 10mm of grass left on, the pitch was expected to strongly favour the bowlers. Sure enough, the unpredictable bounce and seam movement created a nightmare scenario for batters on both sides. Ironically, MCG groundsman Matt Page said he left the grass longer due to the warm forecast for days three and four. This match didn’t make it that far, as 36 wickets fell in the space of just 142 overs.
Twenty of those wickets fell on an astonishing opening day. Having won the toss, England put Australia in to bat and promptly bowled the hosts out for 152 in 45.2 overs. England’s initial advantage didn’t last long, as they were skittled for 110 in a mere 29.5 overs, seeing the third innings of the Test start on the opening day.
Ashes 2025/26 Fourth Test Day One Fall of Wickets
| Wicket No. | Player (Runs) | Team | Overs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travis Head (12) | Australia | 6.1 |
| 2 | Jake Weatherald (10) | Australia | 9.2 |
| 3 | Marnus Labuschagne (6) | Australia | 11.5 |
| 4 | Steve Smith (9) | Australia | 19.2 |
| 5 | Usman Khawaja (29) | Australia | 28.5 |
| 6 | Alex Carey (20) | Australia | 31.2 |
| 7 | Cameron Green (17) | Australia | 42.1 |
| 8 | Mitchell Starc (1) | Australia | 44.5 |
| 9 | Michael Neser (35) | Australia | 45.1 |
| 10 | Scott Boland (0) | Australia | 45.2 |
| 11 | Ben Duckett (2) | England | 2.3 |
| 12 | Jacob Bethell (1) | England | 3.4 |
| 13 | Zak Crawley (5) | England | 4.2 |
| 14 | Joe Root (0) | England | 7.6 |
| 15 | Harry Brook (41) | England | 16.5 |
| 16 | Jamie Smith (2) | England | 18.2 |
| 17 | Will Jacks (5) | England | 20.2 |
| 18 | Ben Stokes (16) | England | 21.1 |
| 19 | Brydon Carse (4) | England | 23.6 |
| 20 | Gus Atkinson (28) | England | 29.5 |
Bazball to the Fore on Day 2
England’s second innings attack received a blow with the absence of the hamstrung Gus Atkinson, who is now ruled out for the fifth Test. However, in Brydon Carse and Ben Stokes, they had two bowlers more than capable of taking advantage of the favourable conditions. Carse took 4-34 and Stokes 3-24 as Australia fell for just 132, leaving England to chase down 175 for the win.
Ready to go with the bat 🙌 pic.twitter.com/3AIFka6KV4
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 27, 2025
Having struggled mightily in the first innings, England needed a solid start. In conditions ideal for McCullum’s aggressive Bazball batting, the tourists came out all guns blazing. Openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett set the ball rolling with a series-high English opening partnership of 51 in 6.5 overs. The hairiest early moment came when a diving Mitchell Starc dropped Duckett when England were 13-0.
Duckett ultimately stuck around to hit 34 runs before being bowled by Starc. For the beleaguered batsman, this valuable contribution marked the high point of a tour blighted by batting struggles and drunken-video controversy. Following Duckett’s dismissal, Brydon Carse was surprisingly promoted from 10 to 3 and handed pinch-hitting duties. He lasted only eight balls, making six.
Carse’s dismissal ushered in the most conventional period in this bizarre Test. Joining Crawley at the crease, Jacob Bethell showed excellent discipline to take the singles which came his way against the deep-lying Aussie outfield.
Crawley was out lbw to Scott Boland, with England still needing 63 for victory. Bethell then followed when caught at cover by Usman Khawaja, taking England to 137/4. Given their 12 years of hurt in Australia, Root and Stokes would no doubt have loved to hit the winning runs. Neither could manage it, with Root falling lbw to Jhye Richardson for 15 and Stokes managing only two off nine balls.
With Stokes and Root watching on, it was left to Harry Brook and Jamie Smith to get England over the line. Smith faced his first ball with England needing only 10 runs to win. With the anxiety building among the Barmy Army, his clipped shot for three took England to within touching distance of victory.
The winning runs arrived in the next over when Richardson conceded four leg byes when bowling to Brook. This was a memorable test for Brook, who earlier became the fastest batsman to reach 3,000 Test runs when measured by balls faced.
Ashes 2025/26 Fourth Test Day Two Fall of Wickets
| Wicket No. | Player (Runs) | Team | Overs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Boland (6) | Australia | 6.1 |
| 2 | Jake Weatherald (5) | Australia | 10.5 |
| 3 | Marnus Labuschagne (8) | Australia | 17.1 |
| 4 | Travis Head (46) | Australia | 20.6 |
| 5 | Usman Khawaja (0) | Australia | 21.3 |
| 6 | Alex Carey (4) | Australia | 22.5 |
| 7 | Cameron Green (19) | Australia | 30.5 |
| 8 | Michael Neser (0) | Australia | 31.5 |
| 9 | Mitchell Starc (0) | Australia | 31.6 |
| 10 | Jhye Richardson (7) | Australia | 34.3 |
| 11 | Ben Duckett (34) | England | 6.6 |
| 12 | Brydon Carse (6) | England | 9.5 |
| 13 | Zak Crawley (37) | England | 18.4 |
| 14 | Jacob Bethell (40) | England | 24.3 |
| 15 | Joe Root (15) | England | 28.4 |
| 16 | Ben Stokes (2) | England | 31.2 |
Relief All Round as Whitewash Avoided
This incredible Test sees England remove the unwanted spectre of a whitewash down under, and alleviates the pressure on captain Stokes, coach Brendon McCullum, and director of cricket Rob Key.
Stokes expressed his delight at ending this long wait for a Test win on Australian soil, when stating:
“I hope it means a lot to the fans. The support we constantly get is very special. There is constant noise, and the lads hear it, know it and feel it. This means a hell of a lot to us as players, and I’m sure there will be some sore heads for the fans tomorrow.”
Those fans don’t have too long to clear their heads, with the fifth and final instalment of this rollercoaster series getting underway in Sydney on 3 January.