The biggest-ever crowd for a day of cricket in Australia has flocked to the MCG for the Boxing Day Test, despite the Ashes already being decided.
Cricket Australia revealed the crowd in the final session swelled to 94,199.
That surpasses the 2015 World Cup final at the same venue between Australia and New Zealand, which drew a crowd of 93,015.
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A bumper 87,242 people watched the first day of last year’s December 26 Test against India.
And for the first time in the series England gave the hosts a decent contest on the opening day of the fourth Test in Melbourne, despite having already suffered an embarrassing Ashes defeat.
Australia were sent in to bat on the opening day and were bowled out for 152 before the tea break.
The crowd included around 20,000 travelling England fans, many of whom arrived Down Under for the Christmas period after the Ashes were lost.
In a controversial move, the Barmy Army were given the iconic bay 13 on the first tier of the MCG, normally a stronghold for rowdy Australian fans.
England fans pose at the MCG. Credit: Josh Chadwick/Getty Images
And for the first time since they landed in Perth at the start of November, the under-fire Poms properly came to play.
England had Australia in trouble by the lunch break, with Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne and Jake Weatherald all falling in the first hour, before Steve Smith was dismissed just before lunch.
Their best session of the Ashes was spearheaded by Josh Tongue, a bowler England didn’t even pick for the first two matches.
It comes as Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg refused to rule out the prospect of the match been played in a day-night timeslot in future, although he confirmed all four Tests against New Zealand next summer would start at a traditional time.
Last year’s match against India — where Sam Konstas stunned the cricket world on Test debut — ran until the final session on day five and drew 373,691 people to the famous ground, the best attended match in Australian history.
Josh Tongue of England celebrates with teammates after dismissing Scott Boland. Credit: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Australia’s brief first innings and a lively wicket means a five-day match appears unlikely this time around.
The line for the Melbourne Cricket Club members reserve snaked through Yarra Park in the hours before the match.
