Sydney: England have decided to persist with young opener Zak Crawley and have included veteran pace bowler Stuart Broad for the fourth Ashes Test beginning at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 5.
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England stand-in coach Graham Thorpe said on Tuesday that Broad's inclusion has come at the expense of Ollie Robinson's, adding that this is the only change made in the Playing XI from the side that played the Boxing Day Test at MCG.
England have lost the Ashes as they are 0-3 down in the five-Test series after losing by nine wickets in Brisbane, 275 runs in Adelaide and an innings and 14-run loss at the MCG. Broad played only the second Test on a flat Adelaide pitch after being dropped from the opening game at The Gabba. He was again omitted for the third Test at MCG, following which he made his displeasure known in his column for a British daily. The 35-year-old Broad took 1/73 and 1/27 on an unhelpful Adelaide pitch, even under lights with the pink ball. Robinson has emerged as the leading wicket-taker for England with nine scalps and is the only bowler in the touring side to play all three matches. According to sen.com.au, Robinson has been omitted as he was a little sore after the Melbourne Test. The 35-year-old Broad is sixth on the list of all-time Test wicket-takers, having taken 526 scalps so far, and ranks third behind country-mate Jimmy Anderson (639 wickets) and former Australian bowler Glenn McGrath (563 wickets) among pacers. He is widely regarded as one of the best fast bowlers English have produced. Following the Ashes debacle, he wrote for The Mail, expressing his frustration at not being able to influence the series. "As a wobble-seam bowler, I feel as though I missed out on two of the best wobble-seam pitches in Australia (Brisbane and MCG). Only playing once has made this a very disappointing trip, one that has not met my personal expectations," he wrote. "The biggest frustration is losing the Ashes, being 3-0 down and feeling like I've not really done anything. Not being able, as an experienced player, to influence a series while it's live is tough." Boland Retains Place for SCG Test Pakistan-born Australian batter Usman Khawaja has been recalled to the Test side in place of Travis Head for the fourth Ashes game scheduled to begin at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on January 5. Khawaja is the only change announced by Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins after Head -- the hero of the first Test win at The Gabba -- tested COVID-19 positive after the conclusion of the Boxing Day Test. Australia have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead against England in the series to retain the Ashes. Pace bower, Scott Boland, who snared six wickets in the second innings of the Boxing Day Test to help the home team win by an innings and 14 runs on his debut, has earned a second match, with Josh Hazlewood and Jhye Richardson sidelined. Pacer Hazlewood's side strain will see him miss a third Test, with Richardson still recovering from a foot problem. Spinner Mitchell Swepson, who had been touted as a potential replacement for a pacer, has been overlooked. Khawaja last featured in international cricket more than two years ago, as a member of both the 2019 Cricket World Cup squad in England, and the Ashes side that retained the urn on tour in the same year. Set to bat at No.5, Khawaja comes in for Head who tested positive on the morning of New Year's eve. Boland stunned the cricketing world on Test debut at his home in MCG, taking 6/7 in just four overs to seal series victory. Boland claimed 'Player of the Match' honours as the icing on the cake of his dream first outing. Captain Cummins said that Hazlewood and Richardson, who played ahead of Boland in the second Test at Adelaide, were given the chance to prove their fitness, as Australia look to claim maximum World Test Championship points. "We gave Josh every chance we could, just felt like he couldn't bowl at full tilt yesterday (Monday). We're still hoping he'll be right for Hobart (fifth Test). "It's no secret that if Joshy Hazlewood was available then he was going to play. He's been just a brilliant bowler for us for a long period of time," Cummins was quoted as saying by icc-cricket.com. Despite the absence of the pair, Cummins is confident Boland can continue to deliver with the ball. "You need that disciplined stump-to-stump bowler and that's what Scotty brings to the table," Cummins said. "It's a real luxury for us to have someone like Scotty we feel really well placed at the moment with so many options. He's bowling as well as he ever has, it's great that he can keep going from last week." Rain is forecast for the majority of the Test match at the SCG. England XI: Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson. Australia XI: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland. (With IANS Inputs)