England's men have finally broken their long-running Ashes hoodoo on Australian soil, clinching a dramatic four-wicket victory in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The win, sealed inside two frantic days, ends a barren run of 18 Tests and nearly 15 years without a victory down under, preventing a series whitewash and pulling the scoreline back to 3-1.
Chaos in Melbourne as Pitch Dominates
The match was a remarkable two-day affair, only the second such occurrence in an Ashes series since 1896. Played on a treacherous MCG pitch that offered extravagant movement to the seamers, batting was a severe challenge throughout. Australia, resuming their second innings on day two with a lead of 46, were skittled for just 132 by 2pm local time, setting England a target of 175.
England's pace attack, led superbly by Brydon Carse (4-24) and captain Ben Stokes (3-24), made light of an injury to Gus Atkinson. Australia's combined total of 79.5 overs across both innings marked their quickest double dismissal since 1928 in Brisbane.
Nervous Chase Sees England Home
The run chase was never going to be straightforward on a difficult surface. Opener Ben Duckett provided crucial early momentum with a brisk 34 from 26 balls, putting on 51 with Zak Crawley. After Duckett fell, and a brief experiment with Carse at number three failed, Crawley found an able partner in Jacob Bethell.
Their stand of 47 steadied nerves before a cluster of wickets after tea threatened a collapse. The dismissals of Joe Root and Stokes left England still needing 10 runs with four wickets in hand. However, the cool heads of Harry Brook and debutant Jamie Smith saw the tourists over the line, the winning runs coming via leg byes at 5.24pm.
A Landmark Win for Stokes and Root
For senior players like Ben Stokes and Joe Root, this victory represents a particularly poignant milestone. It is their first Test win in Australia, likely achieved on what will be their final Ashes tours of the country. The result served as a vital circuit-breaker for a touring party that has endured a tough campaign.
While the victory ensures the series avoids a 5-0 whitewash, the nature of the match—concluded so rapidly—will raise serious questions about the pitch prepared for one of the summer's showpiece events, leaving many ticket-holders disappointed. Nonetheless, for England, the celebration on the MCG outfield marked the end of a painfully long wait for success on Australian shores.
