The Boxing Day Test started under dreary, English skies, but some typically brainless batting and a record crowd at the MCG made it an Australian day on another fast-forward day of Ashes cricket.
Here are the quick hits from Boxing Day at the MCG.
1. English conditions suit English bowlers
Long before the coin fell on the grassy MCG pitch there was little doubt as to what England would do if they won the toss.
Under leaden skies on a green pitch with 10mm of grass underfoot and in blustery, 12-degree temperatures that were more akin to a Somerset Spring than a Boxing Day summer, England would have been thrilled to bowl first.
Even Bay 13, the infamous den of iniquity of bygone years, was occupied by the Barmy Army, an act of sacrilege far more egregious than the corporatisation of the area in recent years.
Frankly, you could have felt you were at a County Championship game in May — aside from the fact that there were, in fact, supporters in the cavernous stands, 95,000 of them in fact — but even they were wrapped up warm against the elements.
And, for two of England's pace bowlers at least, it was the perfect platform for them to perform.
Surrey's Gus Atkinson, dropped for Adelaide, bowled really nicely before having Travis Head chop onto his own stumps.
Then Nottinghamshire's Josh Tongue claimed two quick wickets of his own to leave the Aussies 3-34.
It was only Durham bowler Brydon Carse who struggled in that first hour, although given he grew up in the sun-baked Eastern Cape, perhaps the conditions were as alien to him as they were to the Australians.
2. Carey wanders into a trap the moment it's set
Alex Carey is pushing Mitchell Starc for player of the series and has been a saviour for Australia after any number of top-order collapses.
He was required again when the rattling of Steve Smith's castle left the team 4-51 in the first session and played a few shots reminiscent of a man in top form to make it to lunch alongside Usman Khawaja.
Khawaja nicked off in the fourth over after the break, making Carey's presence all the more important, but for the second straight innings he ambled into a leg-side trap set by Ben Stokes.
England's captain was bowling his first spell of the day and had tested Carey with a couple of bouncers before moving a leg slip into position.
Just as it was on day five in Adelaide, the trap was derided by a number of commentators including ABC Sport's Darren Lehmann and Fox's Mark Waugh. But once again Carey sprung it one ball after it was set.
Rather than gloving a short ball straight to the newly placed fielder, this time Carey played a lovely clip off his pads that would've been an easy couple of runs if not for the 2-metre frame of Zak Crawley waiting for the simplest catch.
Carey was gone for 20 — his lowest score of the series.
3. Green's moronic run out sparks collapse
Australia was doing it tough with the bat.
Plenty of batters had starts but no partnership had been worth more than 38 before Cam Green and Michael Neser came together for the eighth wicket.
So when that partnership passed a half-century before tea, things appeared to be settling nicely for the Aussie batters.
The sun was out and Australia just started to gain the upper hand.
So what they didn't need was a foolish run-out, a brain snap of a quick single from Green, who dropped the ball in front of him and took on the arm of Brydon Carse.
Carse spun and flung down the stumps and Green was out for 17.
Given the pressure Green was under coming into this match due to a series of low scores, it was a remarkable error of judgement.
And it cost Australia dear. From 6-143 the Aussies collapsed to 152 all out, losing 4-9 in 19 balls.
4. No, no. Dig up, stupid
When your team has lost three wickets for one run in the space of 12 deliveries, it's probably time to knuckle down and help take the lead in getting them out of a hole.
Oh, also, in this scenario you're the team's vice-captain and the fifth-ranked Test batter in the world with the number one batter in the world.
Unfortunately, you're also Harry Brook, so instead you'll walk out on Boxing Day and immediately charge down the wicket and try to bomb Mitchell Starc over cover off your first ball.
He came up with nothing but air, with Stuart Broad asking: "What are you doing? Calm down."
A few overs later, after batting partner Joe Root nicked off, he tried it again and launched Starc for six.
No doubt it's a crapshoot, but with an average of 28.8 through the first three losing Tests of the series, Brook's tactics have been more famine than feast on his first tour of Australia.
And although he ended with his third highest score of the series at the MCG, 41, before being trapped LBW by Scott Boland, it was still a wildly erratic innings that left England in only marginally less trouble than when he started it.
5. Record cricket crowd at the MCG
With the series so eagerly anticipated a few months ago, there's little wonder there was such interest in this, the flagship Test of the summer (sorry Sydney, but it's true).
But even with the Ashes already won and the conditions being a lot cooler than you might expect, the crowd still turned up in huge numbers on day one.
The official attendance of 93,442 is the largest crowd ever for a cricket match at the MCG.
Word came through that days two and three were also sold out.
Perhaps hold onto those tickets for day three at this stage, folks…
