England’s hopes of winning The Ashes are over after Australia stormed into an unassailable 3-0 lead in Adelaide following previous victories at Perth and Brisbane.
But Ben Stokes and his wounded warriors still have pride to play for, starting with the Boxing Day Test at the MCG in Melbourne.
It is one of the biggest events on the annual Australian sporting calendar, and the festive atmosphere will be quite extraordinary.
The action gets underway late on Christmas night UK time, and we have previewed the Fourth Test below, a Test which could have huge connotations for the ‘BazBall’ era.
And you can check out all the latest live cricket odds available on NetBet, with plenty of T20 tournaments taking place across the globe over the next few weeks.
Where can I watch the Fourth Test between Australia and England in the UK?
The Fourth Test between Australia and England will be broadcast live on TNT Sports, with play scheduled to start each day at 11:30pm UK time.
Australia vs England: Fourth Test Preview
England showed a lot of heart on Day 4 and 5 in Adelaide, but the damage had been done and Australia eventually secured a deserved 82-run win.
Travis Head was tremendous with the bat, while Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland were utterly relentless in the bowling department.
Nathan Lyon’s return was also a success, though the legendary off spinner picked up a serious hamstring injury on the final day and will not feature again in the series.
That is a bit of a bonus for an England side looking to win a first Test match in Australia since the 2010/11 series.
Amazingly, Joe Root has played in 17 Tests Down Under, and is yet to win a single one of them!
Melbourne and Sydney likely represent the last chances for England’s greatest ever batter to end that rotten run.
Team news
As previously mentioned, Lyon misses out here, while Cummins will officially not play a part in Melbourne or Sydney as he continues his comeback from injury. Steve Smith is expected to return from illness to skipper the team, which could see Josh Inglis drop out. Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser could come back in for Cummins and Lyon, although Jhye Richardson and Todd Murphy have each been called up to the squad.
From an England perspective, it is unlikely the Three Lions will make wholesale changes to the XI, particularly the Top 7. But Jacob Bethell is an option to replace the struggling Ollie Pope at No3. The bowlers look certain to be rotated, though, with Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts and Shoaib Bashir all pushing for recalls.
Australia vs England: Fourth Test Odds
*All odds are subject to change
Even without Cummins, Lyon and Hazelwood, Australia are huge favourites for the win at 1.45. An England victory is at odds of 3.19, while the unlikely draw is 10.00.
Australia vs England: Fourth Test Betting Tips
Top batter – Joe Root @ 6.00
As previously mentioned, Root is yet to win a Test in Australia and given his age, this might be his penultimate chance to do so. And with Cummins not around to inflict more misery – he has got Root out 13 times in Test cricket – England’s highest run getter can look to put his best foot forward here. He averages around 35 at the MCG, which is not the worst record either.
Top bowler – Scott Boland @ 4.75
With Cummins and Josh Hazelwood out, Boland looks certain to feature in all five Tests alongside Starc. As you may recall, Boland was in the XI the last time these two sides met at the MCG, and he recorded incredible figures of 6/7 in England’s second innings to help Australia retain The Ashes. And given he represents Melbourne Stars in the BBL, few bowlers know the MCG better than Boland – so we are backing him to lead the wicket-taking column in this Test.
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