Day International had been played at the MCG to replace the washed out Third Test of the 1970–71 Ashes series. Four years later a match was organised for New Year's Day instead of the Melbourne Test usually played on that day, the Test being moved to Boxing Day. Australian Innings Mike Denness won the toss and put Australia in to bat with immediate results as Wally Edwards and Ian Redpath were sent back to the pavilion with the score on 11/2. Ian Chappell hit 42 off 49 balls before Peter Lever caught him in the outfield off Chris Old (4/57) with the score on 65/3. Greg Chappell made 44 off 50 balls until Old bowled him, Ross Edwards and Doug Walters to leave Australia 139/6. Wickets now fell regularly as the lower order tried to add a few runs, but they were bowled out for 190 after 34.5 overs, leaving England to make 191 off their full 40 overs. England Innings Dennis Amiss had made the first two one-day international centuries and hit 47 off 54 balls out of the 70 run opening stand with David Lloyd (49). Amiss was bowled by Max Walker and Lloyd was run out, but more controversially the bowler Greg Chappell ran out Brian Luckhurst when he was backing up and England were 124/3. The big hitting Chris Old was promoted up the order and struck 12 runs off 10 balls before be was bowled by Alan Hurst (2/27), who was playing instead of Dennis Lillee. Off the only ball he faced Tony Greig ran three and was then run out, followed by Denness and Keith Fletcher who both fell nine runs short of victory. Alan Knott and Derek Underwood made the winning runs with the help of a few extras and 191/7 was reached with 23 balls to spare. Result England won by 3 wickets and Ian Chappell and Dennis Amiss were made the two men of the match for their entertaining innings, even though they were not the top scorers. Oddly, the result was almost a mirror image of the first One Day International, when England had made 190 and Australia 191/5. Fourth Test – Sydney Preliminaries If Denness did not warrant selection from amongst seventeen players on the eve of the Fourth Test, the chances are that he was not good enough in the first place to have been in the touring