England desperate for respect while Australia intend to continue the English torment

Test cricket unfolded itself at its magnificent best when Sydney stayed witness to one of the most intense contests starring two-century-old rivals. Despite the mighty fine attempts of the encroaching Australians, the English bowlers held onto the citadel and the unlikeliest tag team of James Anderson and Stuart Broad delivered England to the shores of safety.

Even though England managed a draw, it did very little to dissuade them of the morbidity that has cast an endless shadow of doom and gloom over their hapless stands ever since they stepped foot in Australia.

For Australia, this contest to be played on the suburbs of Hobart, holds no significance whatsoever as they have bagged the series in the most emphatic ways they could, extending England’s misery in Australia for more than a decade.

England, on the contrary, will be desperate to end their winless streak Down Under and produce something significant. Their batting has been miserable so far while their bowling has offered promise.

As the latest party arrives at Hobart for the final contest, Root and Cummins will face each other in a final collision that will promise contrasting intent on the line.

Team news:

Travis Head will be returning to the side after missing out on the fourth Test due to Covid while Usman Khawaja’s highlight-reel centuries in both innings will drop the axe on a struggling Marcus Harris.

Scott Boland copped a rib injury in the fourth Test. However, as per the inside reports, Boland will be fit before the fifth Test.

Even though England has lost the series and will simply be eager to avert another defeat, the management may make a few necessary changes to test the remainder of the squad and make a few critical calls in the nearby offing to arrive.

Jonny Bairstow won’t be available for the third Test after he broke his finger. Sam Billings will be replacing Bairstow for the final rubber of the contest. Ben Stokes and Jos Butler have been injured at Sydney and will be doubtful for the final contest of the series.

James Anderson may be rested while Chris Woakes will be coming to the contest. Haseeb Hameed may be benched out for the last Test after a poor display throughout the series.

Match details:

Australia vs England, (The Ashes, 4th Test) 

Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

Date: January 14-18, 2022 

Time: 9:30 AM IST

Head-to-head:

Matches: 354

Australia: 149

England: 110

Draws: 96

What to expect?

This will be another fest for the fast bowlers as the pitch is verdant and offers ample assistance to the bowling side. There will be pace and bounce. Even the spinners will be able to wriggle out crucial elements to destabilise the batters. England will be going all guns blazing to make the series look a lot more respectable with at least one win. Australia, however, will use this contest to establish themselves firmly in the WTC points table and will also be eager to test their bench strength.

Squads:

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.

England: Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler (vc, wk), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.