Root's impeccable run with the bat in vain as England record 50 ducks this season

Over the years, the Boxing Day Test matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground have produced some memorable moments for the players and cricket frenzy fans all across the globe. 

While the two sides had announced their playing XI for the game earlier, the Melbourne crowd erupted in joy as hometown boy Scott Boland, was handed his debut cap by Josh Hazlewood minutes before the toss. 

The local lad was in action early on the opening day as Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to field first. There have been a lot of talk in regards to the batting unit of the visiting side and their inexperience at the top of the order, and it was at the forefront as England lost three wickets for 61 runs before the lunch interval. 

While skipper Joe Root scored a sublime half-century, England were bundled out for just 185 runs courtesy of three-wicket hauls from Cummins and Nathan Lyon. 

The home team started their innings with the bat in a commanding fashion as they scored 57 runs for the first wicket before David Warner was undone by a beauty from James Anderson for 38. Despite the stutter, Australia ended the first day in a solid position with 61 runs on the board. Here are some of the notable stats of the day. 

Day to remember for Boland

The journey from being a rookie in the domestic side to making his maiden appearance in front of a capacity crowd at The G, Boland finally reaped massive dividends of the hours of gruelling sessions in the backyard and years of domestic cricket with the much-awaited Baggy Green. 

The 32-year old etched his name in the record books to become the second Indigenous male cricketer to represent Australia in the longest format of the game since Jason Gillespie in 2006. 

Overall, the right-arm pacer became the fourth Indigenous player to play Test cricket for Australia. Gillespie, Faith Thomas and Ashleigh Gardner are the other three players to don the national jersey. 

Pat Cummins leads from the front

Ever since Cummins has been handed over the reins of the Australian side in the Test arena, he has been in sublime form with the ball and ensured the home team creates inroads in the opposition batting unit. 

The skipper accounted for Haseeb Hameed in the second over of the day to scalp his 100th Test wicket on Australian soil. Among pacers with a minimum of 100 wickets, Cummins has an average of 20.5, which is the best. Ray Lindwall is second on the list with 112 wickets at an average of 22.1. 

England record their 50th duck this season

The batting unit of the England side has struggled to get going this season, with Root being the lone warrior for the side. With Hameed's dismissal for a duck, England recorded 50 ducks in the calendar year in Test matches. In 1998, the Three Lions endured a similar run and accounted for 54 ducks, which is the highest for any team in the season. 

Root's valiant effort in vain 

One of the most consistent players for the visiting side in the past couple of years, Root has single-handedly shouldered the bulk of the responsibility of the side. En route to his vital half-century in the first innings, the right-handed batter became the leading run-scorer in the most challenging format of the game as a captain surpassing Graeme Smith. 

While the South African scored 1656 runs in the 2008 season, Root took his tally to 1680 runs. Despite his valiant efforts, England have struggled to post a massive total on the board, resulting in their downfall.