Australia vs England, 4th Test - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Australia 3, England 1. For those who thought this would be a cleansweep, that England would simply roll over given everything that’s happened on and off the field, this is a reminder that under Ben Stokes, this side is not going to give up easily. Yes, the urn won’t be heading back home, but England leave Melbourne with plenty of pride. They’ve snapped a 15-year drought in Australia, and this might just be the spark of a turnaround. 3-2 will certainly sound better than 4-1, and that’s exactly what they’ll be chasing when they head to Sydney for the final Test. As for Australia, this was a bit of a reality check. After being so consistent across the first three Tests, they were off-colour over these two days and will want to fix things quickly ahead of Sydney. The series may be decided, but as this match proved - and as we’ll no doubt see again in Sydney - there’s still plenty to play for. On that note, it’s time to wrap things up from Melbourne. Until next time, goodbye and stay safe..

Ben Stokes: Yeah, it's really good. It’s been a tough tour up until now, so we’re obviously over the moon that we managed to get on the right side of the result. It has not only been a tough tour for us as a team, there’s everything that’s gone before as well - so to be part of a team that’s won a Test in Australia after such a long time is a pretty good feeling. Hopefully a lot (how much does this win mean for the Barmy Army). We play for so many different things, and the support we get from the Barmy Army and everyone who comes up to support us - wherever we are in the world - is very very special. There’s constant noise, constant chants, and the guys out in the middle definitely feel it. This win means a helluva lot to us as players, and I know the fans will be loving it as well… I’m sure there’ll be a few sore heads tomorrow! (is he satisfied with the way he has handled things as captain) Yeah, definitely after the couple of days building up to this Test. There was quite a lot thrown our way, but to come out and perform the way we did, staying focused on beating a very good Australian side, was outstanding. Lot of credit has to go to the players, the staff, and the whole management team for keeping everyone focused on the cricket. I’m a very proud captain. With the way the cricket was played, we knew it would be short and sharp. It was very very tricky. The pitch was heavily in favour of the bowlers, the way we went about today was exactly the way to chase that down. You can't let good bowlers just run up and land it on the area where there's danger constantly, I thought the way we combated that was brilliant. Chasing 170-odd the way we did was fantastic, we showed courage and real bravery. (on Tongue and Bethell performing) Josh Tongue what an occasion for him, coming out on Boxing Day, taking five wickets, on the back of Adelaide where I thought he was outstanding, to come here and back that up with a 5-fer in front of a huge crowd, is absolutely awesome. Every time he has put on that shirt he has given everything. And Bethell played a crucial knock for us in tricky conditions, he showed the class we see in him. The partnerships we were able to build in that run-chase was exceptional.

Steve Smith: Yeah, it’s a tricky one (loss). Obviously, it was a very quick game. I think if we’d managed 50 or 60 more across both innings, we might have been there at the end. But credit to England - they bowled really well this morning, didn’t let us get away, and then with the bat they started aggressively, got a few away, softened the ball up a bit, and from there it probably didn’t offer as much. So yeah, credit to the way they played. (did the pitch change) Not really. I think it did a fair amount for the whole game. Maybe once the ball softened after a few lusty blows, it didn’t do quite as much, but aside from that, it was offering plenty. Yeah, probably a bit too much (help for the bowlers). It was tricky - no one really felt like they were ever in. When you see 36 wickets across two days, it’s probably doing a bit more than you’d like. Maybe if we drop it down to 8mm (grass) then it would do alright potentially.

Josh Tongue | Player of the Match: Yeah, it really is what dreams are made of. Waking up on Boxing Day there were a few nerves, but to take a five-for and get my name on the honours board.. It's a very special feeling. They’ve (Barmy Army) been unbelievable throughout the series, and especially here with such a huge crowd. To be out there in front of 95,000 people and feel that support - it’s pretty amazing. We’re delighted we could do it for them. I was in a tough situation with my body and stuff, potentially (thought about) retiring, but I’m glad to have put in the hard work and got myself back playing cricket. To now be representing England.. It’s all I’ve always wanted. (which wicket was his favourite) Honestly, all of them! We knew there was a bit of grass on it, Stokesy winning the toss, and how we all bowled out there.. We were brave with our lengths. I thought all of the bowlers did exceptionally well. (if he had his pads on if he was needed with the bat) 100%.. Winning at the MCG, Boxing Day Test, I can't be happy enough.

Jacob Bethell: It was lovely to come in and have an impact, and what matters most is that it contributed to a win. I’ve faced him (Starc) a little before, so I kind of knew what to expect, but it definitely feels a lot quicker when it’s nipping around. Still, a great experience to test yourself in conditions like that. First innings, I probably didn’t commit enough to my plans and didn’t have enough conviction. In the second innings it was pretty clear, especially chasing a tricky total - that we had to be more proactive, put their bowlers off their lengths early, and stick to that approach. (playing the reverse scoop first over after tea) Yeah, it wasn’t the best hit, but with the keeper up and third man quite wide, I thought that was the best thing to get back into rhythm quickly and trust my options. Yeah, pretty surreal. I’d bumped into him (Root) a few times on the circuit before and our dads actually played together, so it’s pretty special to share a Test match experience with him now. Would’ve loved to finish the job together today, but just to be out there with him was unbelievable. (how do you take this experience forward) I think it’s about taking confidence, learning from the moments that went well, and understanding what worked under pressure. Hopefully, it’s something I can build on for the rest of my career.

Joe Root - Yeah, well, obviously to lose a series is always very disappointing, but I think it was really important that we showed a lot of character in the rest of the series (on his first Test win in Australia). I think it's been a lot of fun for this team and the way that we've responded throughout these two days has been excellent. Clearly, it was a fast-forward test match with the service that we were presented with, but I think we adapted to it as much as we could. We exploited all the opportunities. We showed a bit of bravery today in the way that we approached things with the bat, and it's quite a worthy test match. No, you never expect them to (on the Australian bowlers), but like I said, I've been on the wrong side of the result here, so you know what to expect, but the fact that we managed to get across the line today is excellent, and hopefully we can improve on this week and next week as well. I was pretty confident by that point (on his thoughts after his dismissal). It's disappointing to get out of that stage, but we wanted to take responsibility and see a team home. It was up to me, but to win the game, that's the most important thing. I'm really pleased and proud of all these lads. They've got a few of them on their first tour, so for them to experience what they get, it's really important. Like I said, we've got to make sure we improve on it and take the confidence from it into the next game. I know it's never about you when you talk about this team. You want to do it for everyone else, but what a special occasion here at the MCG. Very special occasion. We're so lucky with the support that we get. Just look at the amount of people that travel to the other side of the world to support this team. They do it everywhere. We're so lucky to have them. I'm really pleased that they can enjoy this alongside us too. Outstanding (on Jacob Bethell). The conviction that he played with, the smarts that he had using the crease, making it difficult for the ball to hold length and just operate when they wanted to. It takes bravery, it takes courage and it takes a lot of skill to execute as well as he did. It was outstanding. It's why I think he's going to have such a bright future in international cricket.

Stats round-up by Roshan Gede

Fastest to 3000 Test runs (by balls faced)
3468 - Harry Brook
3474 - Ben Duckett
3610 - Adam Gilchrist
4047 - David Warner
4095 - Rishabh Pant
4129 - Virender Sehwag
*where ball-by-ball data is available

Australia in Boxing Day Tests since 2011
Matches: 15
Won: 10
Lost: 3 (vs IND in 2018 and 2020 and vs ENG in 2025)
Drawn: 2

This was the seventh Ashes Test in which the fourth innings score was the highest, and of those, this was the third that culminated in a successful run-chase, after the famous finish at Headingley in 2019 and the ongoing series opener. It was the third such Test in Australia - where a team recorded the highest score in the fourth innings to win the game - after South Africa’s successful 414-run chase at the WACA, Perth in 2008 (the second-highest in the format) and the one at Optus last month.

Highest run-rates in successful 150-plus chases in the Ashes
7.23 - Australia, Perth, 2025 (target: 205)
5.5 - England, Melbourne, 2025 (target: 175)
5.38 - Australia, Trent Bridge, 2001 (target: 158)
5.11 - Australia, Adelaide, 2006 (target: 168)
5.08 - England, Headingley, 2023 (target: 251)

500-plus match-aggregates without an individual 50-plus score
787 - AUS vs ENG, Edgbaston, 1981
652 - IND vs SA, Nagpur, 2015
572 - AUS vs ENG, Melbourne, 2025
539 - AUS vs ENG, Sydney, 1887
516 - WI vs AUS, Kingston, 2025
507 - NZ vs IND, Hamilton, 2002

Shortest completed Ashes Tests (by balls)
788 - Old Trafford, 1888 (Winner: England)
792 - Lord’s, 1888 (Winner: Australia)
847 - Perth, 2025 (Winner: Australia)
852 - Melbourne, 2025 (Winner: England)
911 - Sydney, 1895 (Winner: Australia)

Ashes Tests ending inside two days
Lord's, 1888
The Oval, 1888
Manchester, 1888
The Oval, 1890
Nottingham, 1921 (excluding rest day)
Perth, 2025
Melbourne, 2025

England’s last Test win in Australia was at the SCG in January 2011. This is the first Test win for Joe Root in 18 Tests in Australia, and the first for Ben Stokes in 13 games.

Most consecutive Tests without a win in Australia
18 - New Zealand (December 1987 - December 2011)
18 - England (November 2013 - December 2025) - streak ended today
17 - West Indies (November 2000 - January, 2024)
17* - Pakistan (November 1999 - present)
15* - Sri Lanka (February 1988 - present)

If there’s one thing this England side has mastered under Stokes and McCullum, it’s chasing. The openers, Duckett and Crawley, set the tone right away with their trademark aggressive approach, putting together a brisk 50-plus stand. Duckett’s dismissal and the gamble to promote Carse to No. 3 didn’t quite come off, but Crawley, along with Bethell, steadied the innings with a composed 47-run partnership. Boland eventually removed both, but by then they had taken England to the brink of victory. There was a brief wobble as Root and Stokes departed in quick succession, yet Brook and Smith held their nerve and finished the job. Plenty of post-match stuff coming up. Stay tuned..

17:27 Local Time, 06:27 GMT, 11:57 IST: It’s another Test wrapped up inside two days. We saw one in Perth earlier, which Australia won, but this time England have finally arrived in the Ashes and claimed a good victory. Stokes had said after the previous defeat that despite losing, England had played some of their best cricket and were beginning to understand the conditions and the method required - and they proved it here by putting all the pieces together. Both the surface and Australia played their part. There was assistance for the fast bowlers throughout, but it was far from the minefield some of Australia’s batters made it look like in the second innings. They folded for just 132, setting England a target of 175 and from there the visitors seized their moment.