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LIVE | Aussie wickets continue to tumble on Boxing Day
By SEN
1:56pm - Score update
Australia 6/95 (34 overs) - Cam Green 2, Michael Neser 2
Travis Head: b Atkinson - 12
Jake Weatherald: c Smith b Tongue - 10
Marnus Labuschagne: c Root b Tongue - 6
Steve Smith: b Tongue - 9
Usman Khawaja: c Smith b Atkinson - 29
Alex Carey: c Crawley b Stokes - 20
1:41pm - Carey trap works a treat
Alex Carey is now gone! Caught by Zak Crawley off the bowling of Ben Stokes.
The skipper set a trap at leg gully and it worked a treat with Crawley taking the simplest of catches.
Australia now 6/91. Cam Green to bat with the tail, starting with Michael Neser.
"Caught in the trap, caught in leg gully! He had the trap set and Carey fell right into the middle of it!" - Adam Collins
"You can see by the way the England players celebrated that, that it was a plan they had been talking about." - Stuart Broad.
1:28pm - Another wicket down
Unman Khawaja has been given out with the faintest of nicks on Snicko. He departs for 29.
Gus Atkinson gets his second wicket after Khawaja was unable to survive a DRS shout from the English.
Australia 5/89 with Cam Green now at the crease.
"Atkinson didn't even turn around, I think he expected Usman to walk... Usman just got a good delivery, he can't be too disappointed with himself there." - Damien Fleming.
"It's the smallest of spikes! But it's telltale... the synchronisity does Usman Khawaja in, the faintest of nicks and Khawaja's innings ends at 29." - Gerard Whateley
1:16pm - Will this be a bowler's Test?
Australia should be disappointed with the first session, says Gerard Whateley.
But he does concede this MCG pitch will favour the bowlers.
“They should have done better,” said Gerard Whateley.
“Head is going to be that style of opener, Weatherald will be disappointed, Labuschagne was loose and Smith was impatient.
“I think this will be a bowler’s Test match though.”
12:31pm - Tongues are wagging at LUNCH on Day 1
The lunch break is here and England have taken the choccies in the first session at the MCG.
Australia lost the top four cheaply - Travis Head (12), Jake Weatherald (10), Marnus Labuschagne (6) and Steve Smith (9) - with Josh Tongue taking three wickets.
Usman Khawaja has 21 runs to his name and Alex Carey is on 9 at the first major break.
Australia 4/72 at lunch.
12:06pm - Smith skittled, England on top
England are well and truly on top here.
Steve Smith is bowled by Josh Tongue for 9. He was attempting to drive and his middle stump was clattered past the inside of his willow.
Tongue has three wickets.
Damien Fleming: "This is a great spell from Tongue."
Australia 4/51 and in real trouble now.
11:59am - Score update
Australia 3/51 (18 overs) - Steve Smith 9, Usman Khawaja 9
Travis Head: b Atkinson - 12
Jake Weatherald: c Smith b Tongue - 10
Marnus Labuschagne: c Root b Tongue - 6
11:28am - Tongue strikes again!
Tongue is bowling superbly.
He takes the scalp of Marnus Labuschagne who is caught by Joe Root at first slip for 6.
“An expansive drive to a fuller ball, it’s a beautiful delivery,” Chris Rogers said on SEN Cricket.
“But I think that's poor shot selection from Labuschagne, especially when he hasn’t got the runs he’s wanted.”
Stuart Broad added: “Credit to Tongue for finding that full length.
“That is where you’re looking to bowl to Marnus for sure. It’s hard to leave that full of a length.
“Good bowling but a poor shot selection.”
Australia 3/34 at drinks.
11:15am - Weatherald edges down leg side
Josh Tongue strikes with just his second delivery.
Jake Weatherald is caught down the leg side for 10.
He was trying to flick it through the on side but just tickled it to Jamie Smith behind the stumps.
Australia in a little bit of trouble at 2/31 as Steve Smith strides to the crease.
10:58am - Head chops on
After a nice over with back-to-back boundaries off Brydon Carse, Travis Head drags onto his stumps off Gus Atkinson.
The opener is gone for 12 after attempting a cut shot to a ball that wasn't so wide.
"Just when the scoreboard was rattling along, Travis Head is departing the middle of the MCG," said Gerard Whateley.
"He'll be disappointed with it."
Australia 1/27 - Weatherald 10 not out, Marnus Labuschagne to the crease.
10:40am - Bay 13 for Barmy Army… Flem can’t believe it
The Barmy Army have a prime perch in Bay 13 at the bottom of the Shane Warne Stand.
“Five bays of English fans dedicated in the bottom of the Shane Warne Stand singing Jerusalem,” Gerard Whateley explained.
“Not quite David Hobson from Carols but a lovely backdrop.”
But Damien Fleming can’t quite believe his eyes.
Flem asked: “How has that been allowed, by the way?
“That’s Merv Hughes territory, that’s Max Walker, Peter Siddle. Bay 13 is for Victorians.”
Over 75,000 fans at the MCG already!
10:35am - Streaky start for Australia
Gus Atkinson challenged both Travis Head and Jake Weatherald in the opening over.
It was a “streaky” Aussie start according to Gerard Whateley.
10:00am - England to bowl, both XIs named
England won the toss and skipper Ben Stokes has chosen to bowl first.
Australia have not selected a spinner with Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser back in the team alongside Steve Smith who will captain.
See the Australian & England XIs below:
8:40am - Weak England bowling attack
SEN Cricket’s Tom Morris believes this England bowling attack is the weakest we have seen for some time.
After Jofra Archer was ruled out with a side strain, it leaves the Poms with his replacement Gus Atkinson, as well as Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Ben Stokes and spinner Will Jacks as the key bowlers.
Morris reckons it could set up well for the Australian batting lineup.
“If you’re playing Test cricket as a batter and you’re determined and focused and have a steely resolve to make runs, that attack doesn’t worry you,” Morris said on SEN’s The New Ball.
“That’s as weak a bowling attack we’ve seen for quite some time for England. There’s no (Jimmy) Anderson, no (Stuart) Broad, now no Archer.
“I don’t know what their reserves are at home, but that’s not a Test match bowling attack that should be taking 20 wickets against Australia.”
Bharat Sundaresan spoke of the major blow for England with both Mark Wood and now Archer out of action after commencing the series as potential destroyers.
“There was so much hype around Mark Wood and Jofra Archer. They were the bash brothers who were going to come here and cause a lot of damage to Australia.
“They showed some signs of it but three Tests in, it’s 3-0, Wood has gone home and Archer has been ruled out of the series.
“Some of the Aussie batters were like, ‘So, that’s it?’.”
8:30am - Cold, cloudy and overcast in Melbourne
Here we are on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test and it feels like it could be footy season.
It's a fresh 14 degrees, grey and overcast in Melbourne, but the sun is intermittently peaking its beautiful head through the clouds.
Basically it's a standard English morning, minus the rain (which could come).
Could make for some interesting swing bowling early in the day's play. Would you bowl first?
