The last Test of the Ashes series (2025-26) between Australia and England is being played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. On Monday, on the second day of the Test, a heated argument was seen between England captain Ben Stokes and Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne. This debate gradually increased, its video is also going viral.

This altercation took place between Ben Stokes and Marnus Labuschagne on the second day of the Australia vs England fifth test. It started when Travis Head hit a four on a ball from Stokes in the 29th over.

Heated debate between Stokes and Labuschagne

After hitting the four, Ben Stokes said something to Travis Head. The head also replied to this. Meanwhile, when Stokes came to take his cap from the umpire after finishing the over, Marnus Labuschagne said something to Stokes. Then a heated argument started between these two. Finally Stokes came and placed his hand on Labuschagne’s shoulder and started saying something.

Things got pretty heated#Ashes pic.twitter.com/UHum32WUH0

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 5, 2026

Travis Head completed 500 runs

By the end of the second day of Sydney Test, Australia had scored 166 runs after losing 2 wickets. Currently the hosts are 218 runs behind. Head is playing after scoring 91 runs. He along with Marnus Labuschagne made a partnership of 105 runs for the second wicket.

Head is the only batsman to complete 500 runs in the Ashes series 2025-26. He has scored 528 runs, while the second highest run scorer, Joe Root, is 134 runs behind him. Root has scored 394 runs. Root scored 160 runs in the first innings of the fifth Test being played in Sydney.

Australia has won the series

Australia cricket team had already taken an unassailable lead in the 5-match test series. The team won the first 3 test matches, while England won the fourth test. Head is the batsman who scored the most runs (528*) and Mitchell Starc (28*) is the bowler who took the most wickets in this series.

Australia vs England 5th Test is being played at Sydney Cricket Ground, in which something happened which has not happened in the last 138 years. For the first time, Australia is playing without a specialist spinner. Steve Smith said that he was forced to take this decision, he also looked unhappy with the pitch.

Australia cricket team has already made an unassailable lead in the Ashes series. The team won the first 3 matches, while the fourth match was won by England. The Sydney Test started from Sunday. There is no specialist spinner in Australia’s playing 11, on which Steve Smith said that he did not like it but the pitch was such that he had no other option.

This happened for the first time in 138 years

This is the first time in 138 years that Australia is playing a Test match without a specialist spinner at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Smith said that he was brought to this situation where he was forced to take this decision. Beau Webster was included in the playing 11 in the fifth test. Off-spinner Todd Murphy was dropped.

Australian captain Steve Smith said, “I also do not like playing without a spinner, but the kind of pitches that are being made where there is no possibility of spin and where only the cracks will play a role, then what option will the captain have.”

The role of spinners has been continuously decreasing in this series. Nathan Lyon was dropped from the Brisbane Test. Todd Murphy was dropped from the Sydney Test after Melbourne. At the same time, the England team also did not give a chance to their main spinner Shoaib Bashir in the Sydney Test. Bashir did not play in any test in this series.

Spinners lacked importance in the series

Steve Smith said that if the spinners do not get help on the pitch, they can score runs more quickly. This turns the match in favor of the opposing team. Smith said, “I like to see the spinners playing a role, but in the current conditions there is no concrete reason to bowl to them.”

The Sydney pitch was considered helpful for spinners, but the fast bowlers seem to be getting help there. There is a lot of talk on whether such pitches will not reduce the importance of spinners’ art in the game?

Rain spoiled the game on the first day

England had decided to bat first after winning the toss. After 3 wickets fell at 57, Joe Root (72) and Harry Brook (78) took charge of the innings and both remained unbeaten till the end of the day’s play. Let us tell you that due to rain only 45 overs were played on the first day. England has scored 211 runs after losing 3 wickets.

Usman Khawaja Announces Retirement From International Cricket: Australia’s experienced opening batsman Usman Khawaja has announced his retirement from international cricket. An Ashes series of 5 test matches is being played between England and Australia, the last match of which will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. This match will be the last test of Usman Khawaja’s career. Let us tell you that Usman Khawaja also made his Test debut on this ground. This last match of the Ashes series 2025-26 will start from January 4, 2026.

How was the international career of Usman Khawaja?

Usman Khawaja made his debut for Australia in the 2010-11 Ashes series. Due to the injury of Australian captain Ricky Ponting in this series, he got a chance to debut in Test cricket. Usman Khawaja is the first player born in Pakistan and playing for Australia. He came to New South Wales, Australia with his family at the age of just 4 years. Sydney Test will be the 88th match of his career. At the same time, so far in 87 tests he has scored a total of 6,206 runs at an average of 43.39. This includes 16 centuries and 28 fifties. Khawaja’s biggest inning was 232 runs. Apart from this, he has scored a total of 1,554 runs in 40 ODI matches and 241 runs in 9 T20 International matches.

Khwaja gave an emotional speech

Khawaja said in an emotional speech on the announcement of his retirement, ‘I lived on Cook Road, a short distance from the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). I’ll never forget when I was little, I saw Michael Slater driving his red Ferrari. I couldn’t believe my luck, I had just seen a Test cricketer. As a boy whose parents were barely making ends meet and were trying to feed their children in a small two-bedroom apartment, I thought that one day I too would become a Test cricketer and one day I would drive whatever car I wanted.

Usman Khawaja further said- I have come today to announce that after the SCG Test match, I will retire from all international cricket. I am a proud Muslim colored boy from Pakistan, who was told that he would never play for the Australian cricket team. Look at me now. I hope that I have repaid your (parents) sacrifice by leaving everything in Pakistan and coming to Australia to give a better life to our children.

The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England ended within two days. After this, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen and former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik raised questions regarding the Melbourne pitch. 20 wickets fell on the first day of this test and 16 wickets fell on the second day. England won the Melbourne Test by 6 wickets and ended their 14-year winning drought in Australia.

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen wrote on social media X, ,In India, when many wickets fall on the first day of a Test match, India always has to face severe criticism. So I hope Australia will also face the same kind of criticism. Justice should be equal for everyone.,

The decision to leave 10 mm grass on the Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch greatly benefited the fast bowlers, making it difficult to bat. England won this match by 4 wickets. The first three matches of the Ashes also lasted for a total of 11 days. In this way, in the current series, out of total 20 match days, only 13 days have been played. The first Test match played in Perth also ended in two days.

Former Indian batsman Dinesh Karthik said, ,MCG pitch looks ordinary. It is unbelievable that out of the four Ashes Tests, two were over in just two days. Despite so much discussion, four Ashes Tests were completed in just 13 days.,

Pietersen and Karthik’s comments were based on the fact that Indian spinners and pitches often face severe criticism when this happens in the subcontinent. For example, England’s failure to face the Indian spinners on the turning pitch in Ahmedabad during the 2020-21 series was heavily criticized by experts.

The England team then won the first Test in Chennai, but in the next three Test matches, its batting flopped badly against Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, but in the Ashes, there has not been much resentment regarding the pitches being favorable for fast bowlers.

The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was played in Melbourne, which could not last even for 2 days. On the second day of this match, there was a lot of ruckus regarding the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne. Labuschagne was out in the second innings after scoring 8 runs in 18 balls, but there was a lot of uproar over whether Joe Root caught him cleanly or not. Was this one catch the reason for Australia’s defeat? Know here what is this whole controversy.

This incident is of the 18th over of Australia’s second innings. Josh Tong came to bowl and the very first ball of the over took the edge of the bat and went into slip. Joe Root, who was in the slip position, took the catch, after which the entire England team appealed. Labuschagne did not even move from his place because he had a suspicion in his mind that the catch had not been taken properly.

The ground umpire left the decision to the third umpire. After examining the video review from different angles, the third umpire admitted that Joe Root’s fingers were under the ball, hence Labuschagne was declared out. Labuschagne, on the other hand, looked unhappy with this decision and returned to the dressing room disappointed.

What did you make of this catch? Out or not out?#Ashes , #DRSChallenge , @Westpac pic.twitter.com/pnWo2qt6qc

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 27, 2025

Test match ended in 142 overs, England won

The fourth Ashes Test played in Melbourne ended in just 142 overs of play. In a Test match, 90 overs are bowled in a day, so you can imagine how the fast bowlers wreaked havoc on both the days of the match. Australia’s first innings was all out for 152 runs, but in response, England’s batting unit was all out for just 110 runs, giving Australia a lead of 42 runs in the first innings.

Australia scored 132 runs in the second innings, giving England a target of 175 runs. England achieved this target with 4 wickets remaining.

The name of Melbourne Cricket Ground has been recorded in history. Australia vs England 4th Ashes Test has ended in just 2 days. England won the Melbourne Test by 4 wickets, no team could touch the 200-run mark in all four innings of the match. This was the fourth shortest Test match in terms of balls in Test cricket history, which ended in only 852 balls.

The fourth Ashes Test is surrounded by criticism. 94,199 people had come to watch this match, but within 2 days their hopes were dashed. The pitch of the Melbourne ground is also under question and veteran England cricketer Kevin Pietersen, citing India, said that Australia should also be strongly criticized due to the poor pitch.

If this had happened in India, there would have been an uproar.

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen tweeted after the first day’s play of the fourth Ashes Test. In fact, 20 wickets had fallen on the first day of the match, while on the second day, 16 wickets had fallen before England won by four wickets. The match ended in only 142 overs of play.

Kevin Pietersen said, “When wickets keep falling on the first day of a Test match, then India gets criticized a lot. I hope that Australia also has to become a victim of the same kind of criticism. It would be fair.”

India ALWAYS gets hammered when wickets fall like crazy on day 1 of a Test and so I hope that Australia gets the same scrutiny!
Fair is fair!

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) December 26, 2025

Not a single fifty in the entire match

It is also an interesting fact that not a single half-century was seen in all four innings of the Melbourne Test. The highest individual score in the match was 46 runs, which was scored by Travis Head in Australia’s second innings. Apart from him, only Harry Brook and Jacob Bethel were able to cross the 40-run mark in the entire match.

Also read:

India benefited from Australia’s defeat, know how much the points table of the World Test Championship changed after England’s victory in Melbourne.

After defeating Australia in Melbourne within two days, England captain Ben Stokes made a big statement. England’s victory is special in many ways. In fact, after 14 years the English team has won a test match on Australian soil. Whereas Ben Stokes has won Test matches as captain in Australia after 13 Test matches. England won by 4 wickets in the fourth test of the Ashes series played in Melbourne. For England, which has lost the series, this victory is going to boost its confidence. England captain Ben Stokes said that he feels very good after the victory. For this, the players of the team have worked hard.

What did Stokes say on winning the Test in Australia after 14 years?

After the victory in the fourth Test, Ben Stokes said, “The victory feels really good. Everyone worked very hard for this. This victory is very special. We play not just for ourselves, but for a lot of people. Wherever we go in the world, we get tremendous support. The noise, the slogans, the sounds. We all hear and feel it. I know a lot of our fans will be excited right now.”

He further added, “A lot happened before this match, but the boys coming out on the field, staying focused, and the way they performed, says a lot about this team. Huge credit to the players, support staff and management that they focused on what was important. We knew it was not an easy chase. There was a lot on the pitch and the bowlers were always in the game. The message was to be positive, not let the bowlers settle, and run them. “Keep hitting. I thought the intent and discipline we showed was great. It took courage, but the boys handled it very well.”

Account of the fourth test match

In this Test match played in Melbourne, Australia had scored only 152 runs in its first innings. However, after this the Kangaroos bundled out the British for 110 runs. In this way Australia achieved a significant lead of 42 runs in the first innings. However, in the second innings the Australian team could score only 132 runs and gave England a target of 175 runs. These runs seemed to be quite a lot on a bowler-friendly pitch, but in the second innings, Jack Crawley 37, Ben Duckett 34 and Jacob Bethel played brilliant innings of 40 runs for England. The English team chased the target by losing 6 wickets. In bowling, Josh Tong took five wickets in the first innings and two wickets in the second innings for England. Josh Tong ,player of the match, Chosen.

England has got its first win in the 2025-26 Ashes series. After losing the first three Tests, England won the fourth Test. England has won in Australia after almost 14 years. The fourth Ashes Test played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ended within just two days. In this match, the England team was all out for just 110 runs in its first innings. Even after this the English team won the match by 4 wickets.

In this Test match played in Melbourne, Australia had scored only 152 runs in its first innings. However, after this the Kangaroos bundled out the British for 110 runs. In this way Australia achieved a significant lead of 42 runs in the first innings. However, in the second innings the Australian team could score only 132 runs and gave England a target of 175 runs. These runs seemed to be quite a lot on a bowler-friendly pitch, but in the second innings, Jack Crawley 37, Ben Duckett 34 and Jacob Bethel played brilliant innings of 40 runs for England. The English team chased the target by losing 6 wickets. In bowling, Josh Tong took five wickets in the first innings and two wickets in the second innings for England. Josh Tong ,player of the match, Chosen.

England won after 5468 days

close to australia 5468 The day England won. Before this, England last won the Sydney Test in Australia on 7 January 2011. England played cricket in baseball style in the second innings. The British won the match by scoring 178 runs in 32.2 overs. England captain Ben Stokes has won on Australian soil after 13 Tests.

No batsman from both the teams could score a half century

It was also interesting in the fourth Test match played in Melbourne that the batsmen of England and Australia could not score half-centuries in both the innings. A total of 572 runs were scored in this match, but no one scored a fifty. This amazing record has been made in the history of the Ashes series.

The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England is being played in Melbourne. 20 wickets fell on the very first day of the match and by the end of the first day’s play, Australia had scored 4 runs in the second innings without losing any wicket. A new history has been written on the very first day of this match, because this is the first time in the history of the Ashes in the last 123 years that 20 or more wickets have fallen on the very first day of a Test match in Melbourne.

20 wickets fell on the first day

In the fourth Ashes Test, England won the toss and chose to bowl first. The Melbourne pitch was so bad for batting that within no time Australia lost 4 wickets till the score was 51. Somehow the team crossed 100 runs. In the end the Kangaroo team’s innings was reduced to 152 runs.

When the England team came to bat, its condition was worse than Australia. England had lost 4 wickets within 16 runs. Thanks to Harry Brook’s 41 runs and Gus Atkinson’s 28 runs, the England team somehow reached the score of 110. Let us tell you that all these 20 wickets were taken by fast bowlers.

This feat happened after 123 years

The last time 20 or more wickets fell on the first day of a Test played in Melbourne was in 1902. At that time 25 wickets had fallen on the very first day of the match. This is a world record in MCG stadium history. The maximum number of wickets fell in the matches between Australia and England on the first day of a Test match. In 1888, 27 wickets fell on the first day of the England vs Australia Lord’s Test.

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Vijay Hazare Trophy: Major accident in Vijay Hazare Trophy, Rohit Sharma’s teammate admitted to hospital; Know what happened

England’s young all-rounder Jacob Bethall, who was in the headlines even before the Boxing Day Test, has once again become a topic of discussion. This time the reason was neither his game nor any statement, but a strange incident that happened while fielding on the field. Which ’embarrassed’ him in front of the camera.

Strange incident happened during fielding

Jacob Bethall was fielding for England in the Boxing Day Test being played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. During this time, he tried to stop the ball by making a spectacular dive near the boundary. The dive was excellent, but while sliding his pants slipped down a bit. Usually this happens many times in cricket, but this time the matter was different.

As soon as the camera went to Bethel, their problems became clearly visible. The reason was that the innerwear he was wearing had a picture of the Ashes trophy printed on it. This was clearly visible in the camera and after this the clip quickly went viral on social media. The reaction of 22 year old Bethal was also worth seeing, he was seen trying to recover immediately, but by then the camera had done its job. On this, some fans believe that this could be a way of teasing the Australian team, while some are calling it just a coincidence.

Melbourne test is important for England

Talking about the match, Melbourne Test is very important for England. The Ashes series 2025-26 has already gone out of England’s hands and Australia has won the series. In such a situation, the Boxing Day Test has become a battle of prestige for England.

Australia’s first innings was lackluster

The Australian team, which came to bat first after losing the toss, was all out for 152 runs in the first innings. Michael Neser scored the highest score of 35 runs, while Usman Khawaja scored 29 runs and Alex Carey scored 20 runs. Josh Tong bowled brilliantly for England and took five wickets. Apart from this, Gus Atkinson got two wickets.