The third Test of the Ashes 2021/22 gets underway from 26 December at Melbourne Cricket Ground. England must win this game to keep the series alive, and they might take inspiration from the fact that their win/loss ratio of 0.714 at MCG is comparatively better than other Australian grounds.
On their last Ashes tour in 2017, their only draw in the 0-4 series defeat came here. Alastair Cook carried his bat with 244 not out to help them avoid a whitewash. England need a similar effort from their batters, and so far, none barring Joe Root and Dawid Malan has shown any promise. They average over three ducks per game in 2021.
England have already made four changes to the XI for the Boxing Day Test match. Perhaps that will change their fortune.
For Australia, Scott Boland is all set to become the second indigenous cricketer, after Jason Gillespie, to represent Australia Men in Test cricket. He has replaced Jhye Richardson. Pat Cummins also returns as captain, and along with Mitchell Starc, he will spearhead the pace attack.
The batting unit remains unchanged, with Marcus Harris retaining his place despite not doing well in the first two Tests. If he fails again, Usman Khawaja may come into the mix.
Probable XIs
Australia: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
England: Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, Jimmy Anderson.
Fantasy Tips
- With Hazlewood unavailable, Cummins will share the new ball with Starc. Cummins boasts an impressive record with the new ball, and so he should be picked.
- From England, Malan and Root are two of the best options for batting.
- Warner is in fine form, and should not be ignored.
Fantasy XI:
David Warner (c), Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Root, Dawid Malan, Alex Carey, Ben Stokes, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad