United States
United Kingdom
Summary
- Australia win Adelaide test 275 runs
- England must win third test to keep series alive
- Australia retain same squad for the rest of the series
England had a good chance to win the second test in Adelaide after Australia lost their captain Pat Cummins and fast bowler Josh Hazelwood.
However England struggled yet again as Australia put up a dominant performance to win the second test match by 275 runs and take a 2-0 lead in the five match test series.
England Must Win Third Test
The third test match is the famous Boxing Day Ashes test match that will take place from Dec 26 to 30 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). This is a must win test match for the visitors as another loss on the trot will give Australia another Ashes series victory.
English cricket fans will be disappointed with the way England has played in the first two matches. England have not put up much of a fight as some of their best players have played poorly. Ben Stokes has failed with the bat and ball and this has had a major impact on England’s performance.
England’s top bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad missed the first test match but were selected for the Adelaide test but they did not perform very well. If England are to do well at the MCG, they need to fire with both bat and ball.
Australia are right now very confident as they have outplayed England and will look to wrap up the series 3-0 at the MCG.
Australia Retain Same Squad
The Australian selectors have already named their squad for the rest of the series. Australia has retained the same set of players that featured in the first two tests. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood who missed the second test are now cleared to play at the MCG. They will return and Jhye Richardson and Michael Nesser will be left out.
The one concern for Australia is the form of their opening batter Marcus Harris. There are calls for him to be dropped and replaced by Usman Khawaja but it looks like the Australian selectors will give Harris one more chance at the MCG.
If Australia end up winning the MCG test and the Ashes, then the selectors might experiment with different players for the fourth and fifth test.
