Australia skittled by England before tea on Boxing Day

A diabolical run-out has placed further pressure on Australia allrounder Cameron Green's spot as England hammered home their advantage in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

Australia were out for 152 before tea on day one in just 45.2 overs, failing to capitalise on the momentum of a promising partnership between Green and Michael Neser.

England quick Josh Tongue starred with 5-45 for the third five-wicket haul of his Test career.

Sent in to bat by England captain Ben Stokes, Australia crashed to 6-91 just after lunch, but Green and Neser were starting to frustrate the bowlers with a 52-run stand.

But Green had to go for 17 after undecidedly taking off for a quick single, with Brydon Carse following up his own delivery and hitting the stumps.

The 26-year-old has endured a difficult series with the bat, the lowlight being a rash shot to be bowled in Brisbane.

Green's spot came under scrutiny ahead of this Test, with Australia weighing up whether to recall fellow allrounder Beau Webster.

Starting to recover at 6-143, Australia collapsed again when Green was run out, losing 4-9 in an abrupt end to the innings.

Bowling allrounder Neser, playing his first red-ball Test, top-scored with 35 before he was another of Tongue's victims.

Australia slipped to 4-72 at lunch as Tongue justified Stokes's call to bowl first in the fourth Test.

Australia lost 3-7 in 34 balls as England's quicks, led by Tongue, capitalised on a MCG pitch with 10mm of grass on it.

Once Travis Head (12) chopped on to his stumps, opening partner Jake Weatherald (10) and struggling No.3 Marnus Labuschagne (six) both fell shortly after.

Tongue claimed the prized wicket of Steve Smith (nine), back after recovering from the vertigo symptoms that ruled him out of Adelaide, with a ball that moved back to skittle his stumps.

Recalled quick Gus Atkinson (2-28), back for the injured Jofra Archer, bowled with great control to remove Head.

Labuschagne's catching has been a feature of this series, particularly some of his takes in Adelaide, but the No.3 is stumbling to the end of 2025.

Dropped for the tour of the West Indies, then recalled for the Ashes on the back of strong Sheffield Shield form, Labuschagne is averaging only 21.91 this year and 27.66 during this series.

After retaining the Ashes in only 11 days, Australia are trying to continue England's tour of misery by completing a 5-0 whitewash for the first time since 2013-14.

Australia made three changes, headlined by fit-again Jhye Richardson's first Test for Australia in more than four years.

Richardson has joined Neser, along with star left-armer Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland in a four-man pace attack.

With pace-friendly conditions expected for the duration of the match, Australia have boldly chosen to go without a frontline spinner in a home red-ball Test for the first time in almost 14 years.

Smith, replacing Pat Cummins as skipper, insisted Australia would have considered leaving Nathan Lyon out if he had been fit.

It is the third time in their past five Tests Australia have chosen not to select a spinner, with Lyon dropped for day-night matches in Kingston and Brisbane.

Despite Australia up 3-0 and having already retained the urn, interest in the Boxing Day Test is as strong as ever with a record crowd of 93,442 in at the MCG on day one.