MELBOURNE: The Melbourne Cricket Ground witnessed a historic moment on Thursday as a crowd of 93,442 thronged the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test.
It surpassed the previous records of 91,112 spectators during Australia’s Boxing Day Test win over England in 2013 and 93,013 fans who attended the 2015 ICC World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand.
Boxing Day Test matches at the MCG have long been regarded as one of cricket’s marquee events, consistently attracting huge crowds.
Fans flooded social media with wide-ranging pictures and videos to capture the electric atmosphere buzzing under partly cloudy skies in the 100,024-capacity arena.
While AFL grand finals often attract crowds in excess of 100,000, cricket attendances at the ground have declined slightly due to seating restrictions at both ends of the ground.
After captain Ben Stokes won the toss on a green pitch and bowled Australia out for 152 in their first innings, England took full advantage of the spirited atmosphere.
Josh Tongu’s 5 for 45 sparked celebrations among the Barmy army.
Australia’s top order faltered early as Travis Head (12) and Jake Weatherold (10) got out cheaply, followed by Steve Smith’s dismissal for 9 runs.
Gus Atkinson and Brayden Garse provided important breakthroughs after lunch, while Michael Nacer top-scored for Australia with 35.
However, Australia responded strongly with the bowling, bowling England out for 110 in 29.5 overs to take a first innings lead of 42 runs.
Nacer took 4 wickets for 45 runs in 10 overs, while Scott Boland took three wickets and Mitchell Starc took 2 wickets.
Harry Brook top scored for England with 41 off 38 balls while Atkinson added 28 runs.
At the end of the first day of the Boxing Day Test, Australia reached 4 runs for no loss in an over, extending their overall lead to 46 runs and setting up another interesting contest.