Melbourne hosted just the fourth two-day men’s Test in Australia, ending the Ashes match on Day 2
The Test joined a rare Ashes list, with only seven matches in history finishing inside two days
The 2025 Melbourne clash ranked among the shortest completed Ashes Tests by balls bowled
Ashes 2025-26: Melbourne Test Ends Inside Two Days, Joins Rare List In Australian Cricket History
The Melbourne Ashes Test ended inside two days, becoming Australia’s fourth two-day men’s Test and joining a rare list of the shortest completed Ashes matches
Summary
The fourth Ashes Test of the 2025-26 series produced yet another riveting result at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and completed inside just two days of play. In front of a huge Boxing Day crowd, Australia’s bowlers initially thrived on a lively pitch to skittle England for 110 on Day 1 before the hosts were bundled out twice, and England chased down 175 with four wickets to spare late on Day 2.
The win was England’s first Test victory in Australia in nearly 15 years, ending an 18-match winless streak down under and preventing a whitewash in the series (which Australia still leads 3-1).
The match itself was a whirlwind from the start. Australia, sent in to bat, were dismissed for just 152, with England paceman Josh Tongue claiming a five-wicket haul, his first at the MCG since 1998, giving the tourists an early edge.
England then capitulated to 110 in their first innings before the contest swung wildly back to the home side. In Australia’s second innings, another collapse saw them dismissed for 132, setting up a modest chase. England steadied through contributions from Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and debutant Jacob Bethell, reaching 178-6 off 32.2 overs to complete the victory.
Finishing a Test inside two days remains exceptionally rare, and even more so on Australian soil. Before this summer, there had only been three two-day men’s Tests in Australia across nearly a century, in 1931 (vs West Indies, Melbourne) and 2022 (vs South Africa, Brisbane), plus the first Ashes Test of this series at Perth in 2025. Today’s Melbourne result joins that exclusive list.
Two-Day Men’s Tests in Australia
1931 – AUS vs WI, Melbourne
2022 – AUS vs SAF, Brisbane
2025 – AUS vs ENG, Perth
2025 – AUS vs ENG, Melbourne
Test cricket’s history is also dotted with brief Ashes contests. When ordered by balls bowled, several matches stand out as among the shortest ever played:
Shortest Completed Ashes Tests (by balls)
788 – Old Trafford, 1888 (Winner: England)
792 – Lord’s, 1888 (Winner: Australia)
847 – Perth, 2025 (Winner: Australia)
852 – Melbourne, 2025 (Winner: England)
911 – Sydney, 1895 (Winner: Australia)
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Ashes Tests Ending Inside Two Days
Lord’s, 1888
The Oval, 1888
Manchester, 1888
The Oval, 1890
Nottingham, 1921 (excluding rest day)
Perth, 2025
Melbourne, 2025
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