"Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell have been the two protagonists in the grainy, Zapruder-style footage from England's six-day, mid-series jig-about by the sea. True to apparent recent form, both were here for a good time not a long time as England were bowled out for 110 in 29.5 overs. Both batted like men groping for the light switch in the dark against a new ball that seamed the width of the bat at times."
"For a while, Boxing Day 2025 felt like a re-enactment of Boxing Day 2010. We're talking an amateur historical re-enactment, given the lower intensity and higher number of participants with private lives under investigation, but still, the broad shape of the thing was much the same. You had England choosing to bowl on a cloudy morning and finishing off the hosts in time for an early tea. The original instance lasted 42.5 overs, this repeat lasted 45.2, only 15 deliveries between them."
A brittle, over-caffeinated day of cricket unfolded on an MCG pitch streaked with faint green ridges. Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell made brief, unsuccessful contributions as England were bowled out for 110 in 29.5 overs. England chose to bowl on a cloudy morning and finished off the hosts in time for an early tea, with the hosts dismissed for 152 in 45.2 overs. The day evoked Boxing Day 2010 as a loose re-enactment, though the bowling effort was less complete and the batting response faltered with chop-ons, leg-side nicks and run-outs. Josh Tongue occasionally pitched the ball up before breaching defences. A record 94,199 spectators attended as an extraordinary 20 wickets fell.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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