Overview
- England chased 175 to win by four wickets at 178-6, ending an 18-match winless run in Australia and cutting the Ashes deficit to 3-1 with Sydney to come on January 4.
- A total of 36 wickets fell in two days on a surface left with about 10mm of grass, with no individual fifty recorded and neither side reaching 200.
- Both captains condemned the conditions, with Ben Stokes calling the Boxing Day pitch “not ideal” and Steve Smith saying it “offered just a little bit too much.”
- MCG curator Matthew Page said he was in a “state of shock” at the two-day finish and pledged to “get it right next year,” as the ICC pitch assessment is awaited.
- CA chief executive Todd Greenberg said short Tests are “bad for business,” with millions in refunds expected after a sold‑out day three; standout performances included Josh Tongue’s 5-45, Brydon Carse’s 4-34, Jacob Bethell’s 40 and Harry Brook’s 18 not out, while England’s Gus Atkinson left with a hamstring injury.