Rory Burns, Ollie Pope, Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad the players to drop out as England make four changes for Boxing Day Test; tourists are 2-0 down in the five-match series and must win final three games, in Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart, to regain The Ashes
Sunday 26 December 2021 07:53, UK
England have rung the changes for the must-win Boxing Day Ashes Test with Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood and Jack Leach returning to the side in place of Rory Burns, Ollie Pope, Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad.
Crawley will be deployed as Haseeb Hameed's opening partner against Australia at the MCG with Burns dropped after scoring just 51 runs at an average of 12.75 across the first two Tests, while Bairstow will slot in at No 6 in place of Pope, who has managed only 48 runs at 12.00.
Paceman Wood and left-arm spinner Leach, whose omissions for the second Test on a dry Adelaide surface were criticised, return to add variety to England's bowling attack - Woakes and Broad the players to make way with fellow seamers James Anderson and Ollie Robinson retained in the XI.
England are 2-0 down in the five-match series and must win the final three fixtures, in Melbourne, Sydney from January 5 and Hobart from January 14 to regain the Ashes, which Australia have held since a 4-0 victory Down Under in 2017-18.
Crawley averages just 11.14 from seven Tests in 2021 and was dropped after the first game of the home series against India in August but does have a Test match double century to his name - against Pakistan at The Ageas Bowl in the summer of 2020 - and his height and back-foot game could be suited to Australian pitches.
The Kent player will open with Hameed, who has retained his place despite scoring only 58 runs at an average of 14.50 across the Brisbane and Adelaide Tests, which England lost by nine wickets and 275 runs respectively.
Burns - clean bowled by Mitchell Starc from the first ball of the series in Brisbane as he recorded his sixth Test duck of the year - is the opener to be axed.
The 31-year-old is joined on the sidelines by Surrey team-mate Pope, who scored 35 in England's first innings at The Gabba but has since returned scores of four, five and four to see his Test average dip below 30.
Bairstow takes Pope's place in the middle order - the Yorkshireman scored a century in Perth four years ago and brings a wealth of experience in the Test arena with this week's clash in Melbourne to be his 79th in the format.
Wood was rested in Adelaide but is now back to inject pace into the bowling line-up, while Woakes' omission means Robinson will bat at No 8 in what looks a long England tail.
England XI for third Ashes Test: Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Jack Leach, Jimmy Anderson
Australia XI for third Ashes Test: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
