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Josh Tongue ends England's 27-year wait for a Boxing Day five-fer

Mayank

Josh Tongue took 5/45 at MCG [Source: CricCrazyJohns/X.com]Josh Tongue took 5/45 at MCG [Source: CricCrazyJohns/X.com]

Having already lost the Ashes down under, the Englishman were up for a task on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, as they bundled Australia for just 152 runs in two sessions after winning the toss and bowling first on a green track, with assistance to the pacers.

The key figure in England winning the first two sessions of the fourth Test was right-arm quick Josh Tongue, who was breathing fire as the first change bowler on the day, as he finished with a five-wicket haul and became the first Englishman to do so at the venue since the turn of the millennium.

Tongue's five-fer puts England's 27-year wait to rest

After coming in to bowl as Brydon Carse's replacement and Gus Atkinson dismissing Travis Head, Josh Tongue bowled 11.2 overs for his 5/45 with 2 maidens and became the first England bowler to pick a five-fer in a Boxing Day Test at the MCG since 1998.

The last bowler to achieve this feat was Dean Headly, who picked 6/60 in the fourth innings of the 4th Ashes Test in 1998 at this venue, when England defeated Australia by 12 runs. During the first innings of the same match, Darren Gough also took 5/96 for the visitors.

Tongue's five-fer notably included the wickets of Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, a peach to Steve Smith before he came back to wrap up the lower order, getting rid of the set Michael Neser and Scott Boland on consecutive deliveries.

This spell of his career-best figures takes his wicket tally in the ongoing series to 10 scalps in 3 innings, which is only second to Brydon Carse's 15, among his teammates.