The opening day of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the 2025/26 Ashes produced one of the most dramatic starts in the long history of the rivalry, with 20 wickets tumbling in just 75.1 overs.

This tally is the joint third-most wickets to fall on Day 1 of an Ashes Test, and the highest such count between Australia and England since Old Trafford in 1909. It is also the joint third-highest wicket tally on the opening day of a Test in Australia, equalling the 1894/95 Ashes and Australia vs South Africa in 1931/32 at the same venue.

Only two matches have seen more wickets fall on Day 1 in Australia: 25 in the 1901/02 Ashes Test at Melbourne and 22 in Adelaide against West Indies in 1951/52.

At the MCG specifically, the 20 wickets on Day 1 rank joint second overall for any single day’s play at the venue.

Australia were bowled out for 152, marking their fourth-lowest total in a home Ashes Test since 2000. It was also the third instance in the same period where Australia failed to bat 50 overs in a home Ashes innings.

England fared no better, being dismissed for 110 in just 29.5 overs — their third-lowest away Ashes total since 2000, and the fourth time post-World War II they have been bowled out inside 30 overs in an Ashes Test.

Despite being skittled out cheaply, Australia emerged with a 42-run first-innings lead, the fifth-highest such lead by a team scoring under 175 while batting first in Tests since WWII. Notably, three of the top six such instances have occurred in Australia over the past two seasons.

The combined 451 balls (75.1 overs) faced by both teams in their first innings is the second-lowest in Ashes history, surpassed only by the 287 balls at the MCG in 1901/02 - still the lowest in Test cricket overall.

Steven Smith reached 212 Test catches, overtaking Rahul Dravid and moving into second place on the all-time list, behind only Joe Root.

Harry Brook became the fastest player to reach 3,000 Test runs in terms of balls faced (3,468), breaking Adam Gilchrist’s long-standing record.

Brook now holds the highest strike rate (86.85) among all Test batters with 2,000+ runs and joins an elite group of just four players to combine 3,000+ runs, a 45+ average, and a 70+ strike rate.

Josh Tongue’s 5/45 marked the first five-wicket haul by an England bowler at the MCG in the 21st century, the last coming in England’s famous 1998 victory.

With records tumbling, batting orders exposed, and bowlers firmly on top, Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test has already secured its place among the most remarkable days in Ashes history.