England won the Boxing Day Test match to get on the scoreboard in Australia for the first time since 2011, here are all the talking points from the fourth Ashes Test match.
England end 15-year duck in Australia
If England can take any achievement from this tour, so far their only one is that the next lot to take on the challenge won't go Down Under looking to break a long-held losing streak. England's last Test match win in Australia came in 2011, when Andrew Strauss's world-beaters sealed a 3-1 rout in Sydney.
Since then, Australia has only held pain, with the MCG the scene of one of two draws which punctuated 16 losses up to the Adelaide Test. Joe Root and Ben Stokes have featured in the majority of those Test matches, both early in their careers in 2013/14, the mother of all Ashes meltdowns. A win at the MCG means two of England's greatest ever can count a Test win in Australia among their achievements when they do hang up their boots. A series win is gone, but the MCG offered somewhat of a consolation prize.
'Two day Tests are bad for business'
A record-breaking 20 wickets fell on the first day in Melbourne, with Travis Head opening the batting twice on Boxing Day. It was almost inevitable from Tea time on day one that the Test would conclude inside two days, leaving the 90,000+ people with tickets for day three looking for refunds. Speaking ahead of play on day two, Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg warned against the financial implications of Test cricket played on fast-forward. "As mesmerising and fascinating and enjoyable as it was to watch as a fan, we want Test cricket clearly to go for longer," he said.
The pitch at the MCG drew significant criticism, with a heavy covering of grass left on the surface. The technical difficulties present in both sides were surpassed in culpability for their low scores by the wicket, and how much movement bowlers were able to generate. Cricket Australia is already estimated to have lost more than $3 million from the Perth Test match last month, and is set to lose even more from the Melbourne match. The pay deal between the board and its players also means players will likely lose money, given that their arrangement means they receive 27 per cent of Cricket Australia's revenue.
Jacob Bethell makes his mark
Having replaced Ollie Pope for this Test, Jacob Bethell hit 40 in the second innings to play the defining knock in England's chase. Bethell has only played one Test match – against India at The Oval – since bursting into the format in New Zealand last year. His innings, which stood out among the litany of failures on a tough batting wicket for its maturity, was another tick for Bethell on his way to becoming a lock in England's Test side. It was also another nail to confine Pope's spell at No.3 to the scrapheap.
Labuschagne & Green face criticism
Marnus Labuschagne's two single-figure dismissals in Melbourne left him with an unwanted record. His Test average for this year (20.84) is the lowest for any Australian Test player batting in the top four for a calendar year. Having been recalled to the side at the start of the series, Labuschagne's returns have dropped off since his back-to-back hundreds in the second innings of Perth and first of Brisbane.
Also under pressure is Cameron Green, with the deficit between his batting and bowling average in the series growing at an alarming rate. Green averages less than 20 with the bat so far in the series and over 50 with the ball. With Beau Webster waiting in the wings to come back in, and Usman Khawaja out of position in the middle order, Sydney may be a decisive Test for both Green and Labuschagne.
England's ever-growing injury list
Gus Atkinson went off the field early in the day clutching his hamstring. While there has been no official update, the injury looked serious enough to likely rule Atkinson out of the Sydney Test. He will join Mark Wood and Jofra Archer as unavailable through injury, leaving England's bowling ranks severely depleted, with no room for another to go down.
Should the rest of the squad remain fit, England will have a couple of choices for Perth. Matt Potts will need to come in as seam cover, with Shoaib Bashir also available should England want more spin cover. Nevertheless, England's pack of fast bowlers put together for this series have been torn through in just 13 days of play.
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