UPDATE 5-Cricket-Australia slightly ahead after day of batting carnage at Melbourne Ashes test

Australia finished marginally on top at the end of a chaotic opening day of the fourth Ashes test after an extraordinary 20 wickets fell in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne ‌Cricket Ground on Friday. Australia nightwatchman Scott Boland was four not out with Travis Head yet to score as the hosts went to stumps at four for no loss in their second innings, carrying a 46-run lead over England.

Australia finished marginally on top at the end of a chaotic opening day of the fourth Ashes test after an extraordinary 20 wickets fell in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne ‌Cricket Ground on Friday.

Australia nightwatchman Scott Boland was four not out with Travis Head yet to score as the hosts went to stumps at four for no loss in their second innings, carrying a 46-run lead over England. With England bowled ⁠out for 110 in reply to Australia's first innings 152, it was the highest number of wickets in a single day at the MCG since a record 25 fell in the 1902 Ashes.

Josh Tongue took a career-best 5-45 to skittle Australia on the grassy pitch after England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to ​field first, but the tourists' batters were then guilty of an even more egregious collapse. The constant loss of wickets was watched by a crowd of 93,442, ‍eclipsing the stadium's previous record of 93,013 for a day of cricket at the 2015 World Cup final.

England, who have already lost the series after three straight defeats, came into the match under a cloud following reports that some players had taken a "stag party" attitude to a trip to Noosa between the second and third tests. But they would have been well pleased with their work in ⁠the field ‌early on, rattling through Australia in 45.2 overs ⁠to bring tea early.

The alarm bells were soon ringing, however, as their top order collapsed with Australia's seamers running riot. Opener Ben Duckett was out for two with a loose, unbalanced drive at ‍Mitchell Starc, which sent a leading edge straight to Michael Neser at mid-on.

New number three Jacob Bethell, the replacement for the dropped Ollie Pope, managed only one before Neser had him ​caught behind, while opener Zak Crawley edged Starc to Steve Smith in the slips to be out for five. Root was then out for a ⁠15-ball duck, his second of the series, nicking Neser behind.

Harry Brook and Stokes dug in for a 50-run partnership to trim the deficit to 86 runs but England were then blown out of the water ⁠by a triple-strike from Boland. The pacer took 3-11 as he trapped Brook lbw for 41, bowled a swinging Jamie Smith through the gate for two and had all-rounder Will Jacks caught behind for five.

That left England 77 for seven, with Stokes to carry the burden with the tail. He was unable to play ⁠rescuer again, though, falling for 16 with an edge off Neser that flew head-high to Smith at first slip. Neser grabbed a fourth wicket when Carse was caught ⁠for four slogging to Boland at long ‌leg.

Gus Atkinson and Tongue's 10th-wicket stand of 19 runs appeared heroic after what had gone on before, much as Neser's top score of 35 was for the hosts. But it was all over when Cameron Green bowled Atkinson for 28, just ⁠in time for England's bowlers to get one wicketless over at the Australian batters before stumps.

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