Rory Burns, Ollie Pope, Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad, the players who retire when England make four changes for the Boxing Day test; Tourists are 2-0 down in the five-game series and must win the last three games, in Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart, to win back The Ashes
Zak Crawley to open batting for England in Boxing Day Ashes Test with Rory Burns out
England have blasted the changes for the 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 MCG with Burns down after scoring just 51 runs averaging 12.75 in the first two rounds, while Bairstow will be ranked No. 6 in place of Pope, who has only achieved 48 runs at 12.00.
Paceman Wood and left arm spinner Leach, whose omissions for the second test on a dry Adelaide surface were criticized, return to add variety to England’s bowling attack: Woakes and Broad, the players to make way for fellow sewing partners James Anderson and Ollie Robinson retained in the XI.
England are 2-0 down in the five-game series and must win the last three games, in Melbourne, Sydney from January 5 and Hobart from January 14 to regain the Ashes, which Australia has held since a win. 4-0 in Australia. 2017-18.
Crawley is averaging just 11.14 out of seven Tests in 2021 and was eliminated after the first home series game against India in August, but has a double testing century to his name, against Pakistan at The Ageas Bowl in the summer of 2020, and Its height and back foot play could suit Australian fields.
The Kentish player will start with Hameed, who has retained his place despite scoring just 58 runs with an average of 14.50 in the Brisbane and Adelaide events, which England lost by nine wickets and 275 runs, respectively.
Burns, clean thrown by Mitchell Starc from the first ball of the series in Brisbane when he recorded his sixth test duck of the year, is the starter to be eliminated.
The 31-year-old is joined by his Surrey teammate Pope, who scored 35 in England’s first inning at The Gabba but has since returned scores of four, five and four to see his test average drop by. 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 proving ground experience with this week’s crash in Melbourne to be his 79th in the format.
Woakes’ omission means that Robinson will rank at number 8 in what looks like a long line for England.
England XI for the third ash test: Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (week), Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Jack Leach, Jimmy Anderson
Australia XI for the third ash test: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (week), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
