MELBOURNE: Right-arm pacer Josh Dungu registered his name in the Boxing Day Test on Friday, becoming the first England bowler in this century to take a five-wicket haul in a men’s Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Naku made 5 for 45 as Australia were bowled out for just 152 in their first innings, putting England in a commanding position at tea on the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test.
It was the first time an England bowler had taken five wickets at the MCG in 1998 since Darren Gough and Dean Headley ended a 27-year drought and breathed new life into an Ashes series already secured by Australia.
It eclipsed his previous best of 5 for 66 against Ireland at Lord’s in 2023.
The right-hander also completed a hat-trick at the end of Australia’s innings, dismissing Michael Neser (35) and Scott Boland (0) off the last two balls.
Recalled to the playing XI to replace captain Pat Cummins, Neser top-scored for Australia, while only veteran opener Usman Khawaja (29) got past 20.
England took full advantage of the seam-friendly conditions after captain Ben Stokes won the toss on the green and restricted Australia to a modest tot.
Naku presided over the best of his career, sparking celebrations among the army in the stands.
Australia’s top order struggled early on, with Travis Head (12) and Jake Weatherold (10) falling cheaply, followed by Steve Smith’s dismissal for 9 runs.
Gus Atkinson and Brayden Garse provided crucial breakthroughs after lunch to keep England’s momentum going.
However, Australia responded strongly with the bowling, bowling England out for 110 in 29.5 overs to take a 42-run first innings lead.
Neser took 4 wickets for 45 runs in 10 overs, while Boland took 3 wickets and Mitchell Starc 2 wickets.
Harry Brook scored a blistering 41 off 38 balls, while Atkinson scored 28.
At the close of play on the first day, Australia reached 4 runs for no loss in an over in their second innings, extending their overall lead to 46 runs and setting up an interesting match for the second day.