The fourth Ashes Test will take place in Sydney on January 5, 2022. Even though Australia have retained the urn, they will still be seeking to whitewash England and climb the World Test Championship rankings. England, on the other hand, have been in disarray, but skipper Joe Root is certain that the squad can rally in the fourth Test.
Head to Head
There have been 72 Ashes series, with the two nations evenly split in terms of victories: Australia now have 34, England 32, and six series have been drawn. It feels like an age since the Boxing Day Test ended as England captain Joe Root will be hoping for a fresh start or rather a restart with the New Year’s Test in Sydney.
Pitch, Toss and Conditions
As we observed during the India-Australia match last year, the SCG now has the title of Australia’s flattest pitch, thanks to the SCG’s recent repair. A day before the match, there was lots of grass on the surface. This season’s Sheffield Shield encounter provided an exciting balance between the bat and ball. The weather is predicted to be a factor during the game, thus it could play a factor.
Batters to watch out for
England’s playing XI distress
With nine members of the support staff testing positive for COVID-19, England’s tour has taken a turn for the worst. They have tried and tested all three available openers, and all of them haven’t contributed much with the bat. Players like Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler haven’t inspired much confidence either. Both of them are seasoned combatants who will need to perform admirably if England are to win the last Test. England’s dugout has no suitable options for these two, and both of them are expected to play in the fourth Test. They have tried and tested all 3 openers available and all of them haven’t contributed too much with the bat. Unlike some of the questionable selections England has made in the previous matches, Stuart Broad will return to the side in place of Ollie Robinson, giving the batters another chance to redeem themselves.
Bowlers to watch out for
Australia’s problem of plenty
In every department of the game, Australia had outperformed England. Despite the fact that their bowlers were injured or unavailable, the Australians fought valiantly and made life difficult for England’s batters. When given the opportunity, both Boland and Richardson took a fifer. Boland’s record-breaking performance helped Australia beat England by an innings and 14 runs in the last Test. Due to COVID-19, Travis Head will miss the game. Usman Khawaja will replace him in the starting XI.
Playing XIs
Australia: Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
England: Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Mark Wood, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson