Twenty wickets fell on day one of the 2025 Ashes Boxing Day Test, with Australia starting their second innings before the close of play.
Ben Stokes invited Australia to bat first on a bowler-friendly pitch at the MCG, and it looked immediately to have been the right call. Gus Atkinson provided the first breakthrough before Josh Tongue took over to pick up a five-for as Australia were bowled out for 152 by the end of the second session.
However, England couldn’t bat through even one session, getting dismissed for 110 before the hosts escaped an over of their second innings unscathed, with Scott Boland sent out as nightwatcher and managing to keep out six deliveries from Atkinson for four runs. This marked the first instance of a third innings starting on day one of a Boxing Day Test.
4th Test, Australia vs England
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This was only the 37th time that 20 or more wickets fell in a day of Test cricket, and the 11th such instance in an Ashes series. Moreover, this was only the sixth time that 20 or more wickets fell on day one of an Ashes Test. Notably, 19 wickets fell on day one of the Perth Test of the ongoing 2025/26 series.
The previous instance of 20 or more wickets falling on day one of an Ashes Test came in 1909 in Manchester, while the Brisbane Test of the 1950/51 Ashes saw 20 wickets fall on day three. The previous best on a Boxing Day Test was when 18 wickets fell on day four in Melbourne during the 1998/99 Ashes series, on day two of the India vs South Africa Durban Test in December 2010 and day three of the 2021 Centurion Test, again between South Africa and India.
The most recent such instance came on day one of the Pakistan vs West Indies Multan Test in January 2025, where 20 wickets fell. The first day of the Cape Town Test between South Africa and India in January 2024 saw 23 wickets fall.
Full list: 20 or more wickets on a day of an Ashes Test
| Venue | Match date | Day | Wickets | Runs |
| Lord's | 16 Jul 1888 | 2 | 27 | 157 |
| Melbourne | 01 Jan 1902 | 1 | 25 | 221 |
| The Oval | 10 Aug 1896 | 2 | 24 | 255 |
| The Oval | 11 Aug 1890 | 1 | 22 | 197 |
| The Oval | 28 Aug 1882 | 1 | 20 | 164 |
| The Oval | 28 Aug 1882 | 2 | 20 | 199 |
| Melbourne | 29 Dec 1894 | 1 | 20 | 198 |
| Birmingham | 27 May 1909 | 2 | 20 | 240 |
| Manchester | 26 Jul 1909 | 1 | 20 | 266 |
| Brisbane | 01 Dec 1950 | 3 | 20 | 130 |
| Melbourne | 26 Dec 2025 | 1 | 20 | 266 |
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