After defeats in first two Tests, England will lock horns with Australia to keep their Ashes 2021/22 hopes alive in the third match at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday. In the traditional Boxing Day clash, both teams will enter the ground with some motive, for England, it’s a do or die contest to avoid Ashes defeat, while for Australia the win will seal the deal for them.
With Pat Cummins returning to lead Australia after a Covid-enforced quarantine break, England will once again be at the mercy of a potent bowling attack that will have the likes of the captain himself, Mitchell Starc, Test debutant Scott Boland, Cameron Green and spinner Nathan Lyon.
England will hope to emulate their batting form from the 2017 Boxing Day Test if they are to nurture any hopes of denying a series-deciding result to the hosts.
The MCG track might help the English batters find their lost form as apart from Dawid Malan and Joe Root, none of them have put up a fight in the series so far.
Weather Report:
The Melbourne weather is clear for the next few days as no rain is expected. The temperature for the first two days will be around 13 to 19 degree celsius which is not going to cause any serious problem.
Pitch Report:
The MCG track is expected to witness some runs as batters need to be patient if they want to hit the big score. While there will also be some grass to assist the seamers and both teams have the bowlers to exploit that.
MCG Record:
Total matches- 113
Matches won batting first- 56
Matches won bowling first- 40
Average 1st Inns scores- 311
Average 2nd Inns scores- 311
Average 3rd Inns scores- 253
Average 4th Inns scores- 172
Highest total recorded- 624/8
Lowest total recorded- 36 all-out
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