For the second time in a year, an Australia and England Test match is poised for an early finish as the ongoing fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will be ending with the first two days. As many as 20 wickets fell on the first day.
Test matches ending within the first two days has never been a greatest advertisement to the longest format of the game. Notably, only two Tests ended on Day 2 in 2025, both occurring in Ashes 2025-26.
When was the last Ashes Test to end inside 2 days?
The last time an Ashes Test ended inside two days was earlier this year. In the first Test of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26. Batting first, England managed 172 runs in their first innings. Australia responded with 132 England were only able to put 164 in their second innings.
Australia romped home with eight wickets to spare, with Travis Head scoring a whirlwind hundred. Notably, it was the first Ashes Test that ended inside two days in the last 100 years at that time.
