Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG brought forth an extraordinary chapter in the annals of Ashes cricket. A green pitch, heavily covered in grass, and sharp bowling led up to a perfect storm crashing down on records with one after another toppling. England ruled supreme over the day ball, while Australia categorized low among their home Ashes total. The Barmy Army was all too spirited when Josh Tongue led England in at the tea break; and indeed, the visitors could not hope for a better start after putting the boot in first. England's Bowling Creates MCG History Josh Tongue bowled a memorable spell. The right-arm fast bowler took three of Australia’s top four batters and then appeared later to clean up the tail and bag a fifer. Such performances place one amongst the elite. Before Tongue, the only other ones to achieve this were Darren Gough and Dean Headley in 1998. With Tongue's movement off the pitch, almost every Australian batter fell aside. Also Read | 7 Reasons England Lost the Ashes as Australia Seal 3-0 Lead Australia Suffers One of its Own Low Ashes Totals on Home Soil This was one of the lowest all-out totals by Australia in a home Ashes Test since 2000: 152 runs. Although Neser scored 35 runs, hitting seven boundaries, he could not stop the collapse. A run-out ended the innings of Cameron Green, and Alex Carey fell to a leg-slip trap. Even experienced batters failed to adapt to the tough conditions. Lowest All-Out Totals for Australia in Home Ashes Tests (Since 2000): Score Venue Year Result 98 Melbourne 2010 Lost 132 Perth 2025 Won 138 Adelaide 2017 Won 152 Melbourne 2025 – 155 Hobart 2022 Won Rare Day 1 Wicket Frenzy at the MCG In all, 20 wickets had fallen on Day 1 placing this match among the most wicket-intensive opening days in the historical cricket archives. Numbers like those are seldom seen in modern Test cricket. Most Wickets in a Day's Play in Tests at MCG Wickets Match Season Day 25 AUS vs ENG 1901/02 Day 1 20 AUS vs SA 1931/32 Day 1 20 AUS vs ENG 1894/95 Day 1 20 AUS vs ENG 2025/26 Day 1 This is also the first time since 1901-02 that twenty or more wickets fell on the first day of an Ashes Test. Also Read | Mitchell Starc Demands Snicko be “Sacked” After Wrong Calls in Adelaide Test Records Across Australia and Ashes History Most Wickets on Day 1 of a Test in Australia Wickets Match Venue Season 25 AUS vs ENG Melbourne 1901/02 22 AUS vs WI Adelaide 1951/52 20 AUS vs SA Melbourne 1931/32 20 AUS vs ENG Melbourne 2025/26 19 AUS vs ENG Perth 2025/26 Most Wickets on Day 1 in AUS vs ENG Tests Wickets Venue Season 25 Melbourne 1901/02 22 The Oval 1890 20 Melbourne 1894/95 20 Melbourne 2025/26 19 Perth 2025/26 Individual Milestones on a Chaotic Day Despite the chaos, individual records still stood out. Steve Smith breaks Rahul Dravid's catch record Smith moved ahead of Rahul Dravid to become the second-highest catch-taker as a fielder in Test cricket. Player Catches Joe Root 214 Steve Smith 211 Rahul Dravid 210 Mahela Jayawardene 205 Jacques Kallis 200 Also Read | Stadium Tale presents "The G" or MCG: a birthplace of cricket formats and World War II hero Harry Brook Joins Elite Company Harry Brook continued his meteoric rise in Test cricket as the fastest ever to 3000 Test runs by balls faced. Fastest to 3000 Test Runs (By Balls Faced) Brook is now one of a rare breed who has scored more than 3000 Test runs at better than 45 average with a strike rate above 70. Player Balls Harry Brook 3468 Adam Gilchrist 3610 David Warner 4047 Rishabh Pant 4095 Virender Sehwag 4129 Pitch Debate Adds to the Drama The MCG strip has 10mm of grass, which is 3mm thicker than that for the previous Boxing Day Test. While it has provided extreme assistance to seamers, shot selection and mindset also play their roles. The ICC declared the MCG pitch poor back in 2018 for being too flat. This time, some may query for doing the exact opposite. A Day to Remember Day 1 of the 4th Ashes Test was not only marked by a complete domination but also made history. Records fell, debates ignited, and the cricket fan saw a rare sight in modern Test cricket. The conditions still favor the bowlers, so the match promises to keep on offering more dramas.