After 5,468 days, England finally managed to register a Test victory on Australian soil, successfully reviving Bazball from the brink. With this win, the second Ashes Test of the series concluded within just two days, marking the return of a two-day Test match in Australia after 113 years — once again on the famous “Dairy Farm” pitch.
England secured a remarkable four-wicket victory in the fourth Ashes Test, completing the entire contest within two days. This match entered the list of the shortest Tests in cricket history, creating several records along the way.
After 20 wickets fell on Day 1, Australia resumed Day 2 with a 46-run lead but were bowled out for just 132 in their second innings, with Steve Smith remaining unbeaten at one end. Smith later stated that the movement of the new ball on this pitch made decision-making extremely difficult for batters. He explained that surviving until the ball softened made batting considerably easier. He also noted how drastically different this MCG pitch behaved compared to the Boxing Day Test, which lasted the full five days.
Travis Head was the top scorer of the match, amassing 46 runs in total. Gus Atkinson sparked England’s bowling attack by dismissing Scott Boland, who was sent in as a nightwatchman. The dismissal of Marnus Labuschagne proved to be a turning point. At 61 for 2, Labuschagne was caught at first slip by Joe Root in a controversial decision. Although the third umpire ruled that Root’s fingers were underneath the ball, Labuschagne appeared dissatisfied with the call.
Brydon Carse’s scrambled-seam delivery that dismissed Travis Head was another decisive moment. Carse also took a sharp return catch to dismiss Michael Neser, who had been Australia’s highest run-scorer in the first innings. Carse finished with four wickets, while captain Ben Stokes picked up three, playing a crucial role with the ball.
Chasing a target of 175, England launched a full-scale Bazball assault, adding 51 runs for the opening wicket in just 42 balls. Australia missed a golden opportunity when Mitchell Starc dropped a difficult return catch off Ben Duckett, who was on 8 at the time — a moment that proved costly.
England eventually reached 178 in 32.2 overs, winning the match with six wickets down. Jacob Bethell top-scored with 40 runs. Starc, Boland, and Jhye Richardson claimed two wickets each.
England captain Ben Stokes expressed his delight at ending England’s long wait for a Test win in Australia. He noted that this was their first Test victory there since the 2011 Sydney Test. Stokes explained that the plan was to score a quick 40–50 runs to transfer pressure onto Australia while chasing a small target. He highlighted that Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley executed this plan perfectly, laying the foundation for the win.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground witnessed a historic crowd as well. On Day 1, attendance reached 94,199 — the highest single-day crowd in Test cricket history. This surpassed the previous record of 93,112 set during the 2013 Ashes. It also became the highest attendance for any cricket match at the MCG, overtaking the 2015 World Cup final, which drew 93,013 spectators.
Amid the chaos and pressure on the pitch, one man remained unshaken — Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena. Seven of his decisions were reviewed across the two days, and all seven were upheld. In front of the largest Test crowd in history, he once again proved that challenging Dharmasena’s decisions is usually futile.
Despite the thrilling contest, commentators from both England and Australia expressed disappointment over the match finishing in just two days. This was the second two-day Test of the series. It also marked the fifth instance in history where two matches in a series of three or more Tests ended within two days — the previous occurrence dating back to 1912.
This match became the third-shortest Test ever played in Australia. The Perth Test earlier in the series occupies second place, while this match ranks 10th among the shortest Tests in the entire history of the game.
Australia faced a historic low, losing all 20 wickets in just 479 deliveries — the fewest balls they have faced in a Test match since 1928.
Joe Root’s run of 17 Tests in Australia without a win and Ben Stokes’ 12-Test drought there both ended with this victory. The record for most Tests played in Australia without a win is currently held by Daniel Vettori.
Notably, this was the first Test match in Australia where not a single spinner bowled a delivery.
Josh Tongue was named Player of the Match after taking 7 wickets for 89 runs across both innings. This marked the first time in 27 years that an England bowler won Player of the Match in an Ashes Test played in Australia. The last instance was in 1998, when Dean Headley claimed six wickets in the fourth innings. At that time, Josh Tongue was just a 13-month-old baby.
The final Ashes Test will begin on January 4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
