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Australia and England meet for the fourth Ashes Test at the MCG, with Australia having already retained the trophy. With nothing but pride to play for, England will be hoping that Bazzball can finally shine and some respect can be clawed back from the pit of despair that encompasses the team at the moment.
Captain Ben Stokes said England's Ashes defeat “hurts" and “sucks", but he remains committed to being captain of the national team and wants to lead England to future success. That can all start in Melbourne on what will be Boxing Day for them down under.
Below, we have all the information that you need to follow the fourth Test of the Ashes.
Australia v England key information
• Date: Thursday, December 25
• Start time: 11:30 GMT
• Venue: MCG, Melbourne
• On-field Umpire: Chris Gaffaney
• TV Umpire: Ahsan Raza
• TV channels: TNT Sports (UK)
• Odds: AUS (8/15) - DRAW (10/1) - ENG (9/4)
Australia Team News
The Australian team is set to be depleted for this game and the fifth Test. Pat Cummins (back) and Nathan Lyon (hamstring) will miss the final two Ashes Tests, meaning that Australia will not field their first-choice 11 at any point in the series. Josh Hazlewood remains unavailable, and it is yet to be seen if Steve Smith will be fit enough to come into the team for this game, after missing the third Test with vertigo.
Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser or Jhye Richardson are in contention for Cummins’ spot, whilst Todd Murphy is set to take over for Lyon. Whilst Smith’s fitness is unknown, he has been included in the squad for this Test, so it is yet to be seen who would drop out for Smith’s return.
Australia's Fourth Ashes Test predicted XI: Khawaja, Head, Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Green, Carey, Neser, Starc, Boland, Kuhnemann.
England Team News
It is not a question of injuries but whose poor performances will see them be dropped. Will Ollie Pope's double failure in Adelaide see him stay in? Jacob Bethell is set to be his replacement, but doubts are rampant among pundits on whether he is a viable replacement.
The big news from the camp all revolves around the news coming out about England’s drinking culture. A video of Ben Duckett is doing the rounds on social media, where he seems drunk. Then the reports of their mid-Ashes beach break resembling a "stag do” has seen pressure intensify on the squad. Investigations will take place by the ECB, but a loss in this Test will heap even more pressure on the squad from all angles.
England’s Fourth Ashes Test predicted XI: Crawley, Duckett, Bethell, Root, Brook, Stokes, Smith, Jacks, Archer, Potts, Tongue
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
In the UK, the Fourth Ashes Test will be streamed on TNT Sports. To watch, you will need a discovery+ subscription, and then you can watch the Ashes on the website, on your smart TV or through your console.
Head-to-Head record
The Ashes has been one-way traffic so far. In the first Test, Australia won by eight wickets; in the second Test, Australia won by eight wickets; and in the third Test, Australia won by 82 runs. All in all, that means that Australia have already retained the Ashes, making the last two Tests ultimately pointless. Now England plays for pride.
The 3-0 lead begs the question: when was the last time that England were whitewashed in the series? The answer was in the 2013/14 tour in Australia, when the Aussies won 5-0 despite going seven years without the urn before that. England will be looking to avoid a similar result.
Odds for Australia vs England
Australia are favourites to win, sitting at 8/15 at bet365. England are at 9/4, with a draw at 10/1.
Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change.