England End 18-Match Ashes Winless Run with Victory in Fourth Test at Melbourne
The Fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, played over the Boxing Day period, concluded with England successfully chasing 175 runs to win in a two-day finish. This victory ended England's 18-match winless streak in Australia across four tours, marking a significant milestone for the team.
Josh Tongue played a pivotal role by taking seven wickets in the match and was named Player of the Match, while Jacob Bethell contributed an important 40 runs during the chase. Ben Stokes and Joe Root acknowledged breaking the long winless narrative, with Stokes describing the moment as an “awesome feeling.”
The pitch conditions were challenging, described as bowler-friendly with 36 wickets falling across six sessions and around 10mm of grass left on the surface. This raised discussions about a potential probe by Cricket Australia. Australia's stand-in captain, Steve Smith, commented that the wicket was tricky and offered more assistance to bowlers than anticipated.
England faced injury concerns during the match, with Jofra Archer sidelined due to a side strain, Gus Atkinson suffering a hamstring injury, and Matthew Potts expected to be the next seamer in line.
After a rest period of seven days, the fifth Test will move to Sydney. The outcome of the series carries potential implications for England coach Brendon McCullum and team director Rob Key.
