England moved within sight of a rare Ashes triumph in Australia by reaching 77 for two at tea on Day 2 of the Melbourne Boxing Day Test, chasing a target of 175.
The visitors made a composed start, with openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley putting on a 51-run partnership to lay a solid foundation. Duckett was eventually bowled by Mitchell Starc, shortly after crossing 3,000 runs in Test cricket.
England then promoted Brydon Carse to No. 3 in an aggressive move, but he was dismissed by Jhye Richardson, who claimed his first Test wicket since returning to the side after four years.
Earlier, the match was dominated by fast bowlers on a lively MCG surface. Australia, after bowling England out for 110 in the first innings, were unable to capitalise fully. England’s pace attack struck back strongly, dismissing Australia inside 35 overs in their second innings and restricting the hosts to a lead of 174 runs.
Travis Head top-scored for Australia with 46, the highest individual score of the match, while Josh Tongue led England’s bowling effort with sustained pressure.
Brydon Carse impressed with the ball following Gus Atkinson’s left hamstring injury, and Ben Stokes provided key breakthroughs to halt Australia’s attempts to rebuild.
The pitch, which offered sharp lateral movement on Day 1, has since shown uneven bounce, keeping batters under constant threat. With 98 runs still required, Australia will look to their four-man pace attack to produce a late twist, while England aim to finally end their 18-Test winless Ashes run in Australia.
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