Preview:
Australia and England will face each other in the historical Boxing Day Test match which starts from Sunday. Australia are always hard to beat at home and they are proving time and time again. Despite missing skipper Pat Cummins, they came out well in the 2nd Test and won the game on the last day by 275 runs to secure a lead of 2-0 in this series. Scott Boland is all set to make his Test debut in this game.
England on the other hand are in all sorts of trouble in this series. They have made four changes to their playing XI for the 3rd Test where Jonny Bairstow and Zak Crawley return to the side. They didn’t bowl to their best in the 2nd Test as they didn’t pitch it up properly for the Aussie batters and encountered a massive loss. They must win this match if they want to harbour any hopes of regaining the Ashes.
Match Details:
Australia vs England, 3rd Test
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Date & Time: December 26th-30th, at 5:00 AM IST and 10:30 AM Local Time
Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network
Pitch Report:
Traditionally the surface here at MCG favors the batters and even the seamers have an excellent track record as well. It’s one of the best sporting wickets in the country. The captains should take a final call for the toss depending upon the nature of the surface.
Probable Playing XIs for AUS vs ENG:
Australia
David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
England
Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Mark Wood, Ollie Edward Robinson, Jack Leach, James Anderson
Top Picks for AUS vs ENG Dream11 Match:
Top Picks – Batters
David Warner is in splendid form in this series. He will be disappointed after getting out in the 90s on both occasions. In 3 innings in this series, he has scored 202 runs at an average of 67.33.
Dawid Malan is amongst the runs for England in this series. Including 2 half-centuries, he has scored 188 runs at an average of 47 with the best score of 82 and also picked up 2 wickets.
Top Picks – All-Rounders
Joe Root is a technically sound player. He is giving his best in all possible ways for his side in this series. In 2 matches, he has scored 175 runs at an average of 43.75 and picked up 4 wickets as well.
Cameron Green is getting better as a bowler and picked up big wickets in this series with the likes of Joe Root and Ben Stokes. In 2 matches, he has picked up 5 wickets and scored 35 runs with the bat.
Top Picks – Bowlers
Pat Cummins is back and will lead the Australian side in this match. He had a great 1st Test where he picked up 7 wickets in 2 innings including a 5-wicket haul as well.
Ollie Edward Robinson is a nippy bowler and bowled great lines and lengths in this series. He has scalped 7 wickets in 2 matches so far with best figures of 3 for 58 in an innings.
Top Picks – Wicketkeepers
Alex Carey has been impressive with his exceptional glove work in this series. He bought up his maiden Test half-century in the crucial stage of the 2nd Test. Overall, he has notched 78 runs in 4 innings with the highest score of 51.
AUS vs ENG Must Picks for Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
| Player | Statistics (This Series) | Dream11 Points |
| David Warner | 202 runs | 261 |
| Marnus Labuschagne | 228 runs | 300 |
| Steven Smith | 111 runs | 204 |
| Joe Root | 175 runs and 4 wickets | 285 |
| Dawid Malan | 188 runs and 2 wickets | 269 |
Suggested Playing XI No.1 for AUS vs ENG Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Jos Buttler, Alex Carey, David Warner (vc), Dawid Malan, Marnus Labuschagne, Ben Stokes, Joe Root (c), Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Ollie Edward Robinson
Suggested Playing XI No.2 for AUS vs ENG Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Jos Buttler, Alex Carey, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Dawid Malan (vc), Marnus Labuschagne (c), Joe Root, James Anderson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Mark Wood
AUS vs ENG Risky Captaincy Choices:
Travis Head has already struck 221 runs in 3 innings in this series at an average of 73.66. It’s worth a risk and you can pick him as your fantasy team skipper.
Jos Buttler battled really hard on the final day of the 2nd Test only to get out in a bizarre manner. He is a risky captaincy pick for your fantasy teams.
Player you should avoid:
Scott Boland will be making his debut. Considering his inexperience at the highest level it’s better to avoid him while making your fantasy teams.
