The historic Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground kicks off the third Ashes Test on Sunday, followed by matches in Sydney and Hobart in January. The visitors must now win all three games to reclaim the Ashes urn, which Australia currently hold. England captain Joe Root will be hoping to make a comeback and turn things around after lopsided losses in the first two Ashes Tests. Everything seemed to be going well for Australia. Their two key bowlers, Josh Hazelwood and Pat Cummins were both unable to play in the second Test, but this had no bearing on the outcome. The Australians will be full of confidence and determined to win the series.
Pitch & Conditions
At the Boxing Day Ashes Test, England should expect a green pitch with assistance for the seamers, according to MCG pitch curator Matthew Page. England may be interested in bringing in Mark Wood because of his speed. In each of the first two games, the tourists misread the conditions, leaving Stuart Broad out on a Gabba surface that would have suited him and Jack Leach on an Adelaide Oval track that suited spin.
Root’s captaincy woes
Root has been excellent as a batter this year, leading the run-scoring charts with 1630 runs at 62.69, but the same cannot be said about his captaincy record. With the loss in Adelaide, Joe Root set a new record for most defeats by an England captain (23).
England’s playing XI distress
Buttler’s 207-ball blockathon may help him keep his spot, but he can’t afford any more dropped catches. Ollie Pope (5 and 4 in Adelaide) is also under pressure to preserve his number six place, which might open the door for Bairstow.
At the top of the order, Haseeb Hameed (6 and 0 in Adelaide) and Rory Burns are in jeopardy, albeit Burns put up 34 on the fourth night in Adelaide after hitting just 4 in England’s first innings.
Australia’s problem of plenty
Australia’s two main bowlers, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were ruled out of the second Test, giving Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson a chance to shine. Richardson took a fifer in the second inning, and Neser was successful with both the bat and ball. Both Hazelwood and Cummins are likely to return to the starting XI, but having a strong bench will enhance their confidence even more.
Buttler’s struggles with bat and gloves
Jos Buttler’s rearguard in Adelaide had the sixth-lowest strike rate in Test history for anyone scoring at least 20 runs. Before the MCG Test, selectors will discuss several roles, including Buttler’s. After dropping three catches in Adelaide, Buttler is set to keep his place in England’s team, but he may lose his wicketkeeping job to Jonny Bairstow.
Predicted Playing XI
Australia: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Lyon
England: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (capt), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler/ Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach.