AUSTRALIA dominated the opening day of the Boxing Day Test with an all-round outing in Melbourne.

Returning captain Pat Cummins made all the right calls on Sunday – right from the toss to his bowling changes on a wicket that had lots of green as Australia’s bowlers knocked England over for 185.

The openers then took Australia past fifty at a run-rate of over 4 before David Warner fell for a quickfire 38 off 42 balls late in the day as Australia went to stumps on 61 for 1, trailing by 124.

Marcus Harris had his fair share of struggles in the middle, but with an in-form Warner at the other end, he found his feet gradually. Warner struck five fours in his knock before poking at a delivery outside off from James Anderson. Harris then needed treatment on his index finger after a Ben Stokes’s delivery struck him flush on the hand with blood oozing out.

Harris and nightwatchman Nathan Lyon ensured no further damage was done despite a few late questions.

At the start of the day, after a delayed start due to rain, Australia’s bowlers were right on the money bagging three wickets in the first session before as many crucial ones in the middle session. England captain, Root, reached his third fifty in the series, but couldn’t make it count once again, after erring in the same manner as he has in now five innings. He fiddled with a delivery that should’ve been left alone and ended up with an edge to be caught-behind, much to his fury.

Stokes and Jonny Bairstow then forged a stand that was rather enterprising, where they kept the runs ticking without taking too many risks. Stokes was using his feet, advancing down the track to unsettle the bowlers’ lines and lengths and it was working even as England seized control, albeit briefly, and were successful in keeping Australia at bay.

Cameron Green was impressive in the middle period with some tidy bowling. After seven overs, he was rewarded with the wicket of Stokes, who arched back in the crease to play the cut shot against a shorter ball. However, it went straight to the fielder at point where Nathan Lyon took a good, low catch. Stokes, like Root, got a start once again but failed to capitalize, falling for 25.

Green then troubled Buttler too with his lines, but it was Lyon who scalped Buttler with a poor shot just on the brink of the break, looking to break the shackles as England slipped further. With the wickets of Root, Stokes and Buttler before Tea, Australia were sitting pretty with the visitors on 128 for 6. It didn’t take Australia long thereafter to bundle out England.

Yet, Bairstow kept England in the hunt, keeping the runs coming. Mark Wood then was trapped leg-before after the break to give debutant Scott Boland his maiden Test wicket. Bairstow was the key wicket if Australia needed to keep England to a small total. He gloved one against a Starc short-ball to get an outside edge that was taken at gully. Ollie Robinson added vital runs down the order striking three fours in his 26-ball 22 before Lyon wrapped up the tail to finish with as many wickets as Cummins with three. (Cricbuzz)

ENGLAND 1st innings
Haseeb Hameed c Alex Carey b Pat Cummins 0
Zak Crawley c Cameron Green b Pat Cummins 12
Dawid Malan c David Warner b Pat Cummins 14
Joe Root c Alex Carey b Mitchell Starc 50
Ben Stokes c Nathan Lyon b Cameron Green 25
Jonny Bairstow c Cameron Green b Mitchell Starc 35
Jos Buttler c Scott Boland b Nathan Lyon 3
Mark Wood lbw Scott Boland 6
Ollie Robinson c Scott Boland b Nathan Lyon 22
Jack Leach c Steven Smith b Nathan Lyon 13
James Anderson Not Out 0
Extras 0b 4lb 1nb 0pen 0w 5
Total (65.1 overs) 185 all out
Fall of Wickets : 1-4 Hameed, 2-13 Crawley, 3-61 Malan, 4-82 Root, 5-115 Stokes, 6-128 Buttler, 7-141 Wood, 8-159 Bairstow, 9-176 Leach, 10-185 Robinson
Bowling : Mitchell Starc 15 – 3 – 54 – 2 (1nb), Pat Cummins 15 – 2 – 36 – 3,
Scott Boland 13 – 2 – 48 – 1, Cameron Green 8 – 4 – 7 – 1, Nathan Lyon 14.1 – 3 – 36 – 3.

AUSTRALIA 1st innings
Marcus Harris Not Out 20
David Warner c Zak Crawley b James Anderson 38
Nathan Lyon Not Out 0
Extras 0b 1lb 2nb 0pen 0w 3
Total (16.0 overs) 61-1
Fall of Wickets : 1-57 Warner
To Bat : Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Green, Carey, Cummins, Starc, Boland
Bowling: James Anderson 5 – 1 – 14 – 1, Ollie Robinson 5 – 0 – 23 – 0 (2nb),
Mark Wood 4 – 0 – 15 – 0, Ben Stokes 2 – 0 – 8 – 0.