Melbourne, 26 December (H.S.): Australia unveiled a formidable four-pronged pace attack for the Boxing Day Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), marking the much-anticipated return of Jhye Richardson to Test cricket after a four-year injury-enforced absence. The 29-year-old, who last played a Test during the 2021–22 Ashes series, rejoined the squad following a successful recovery from multiple shoulder surgeries.

Amid overcast skies, a lush green pitch, and a boisterous holiday crowd expected to shatter the 2013–14 attendance record of 91,092 spectators, England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl first. He said the surface promised early movement for the pacers: “There’s good grass cover on the wicket. The new ball should reward hard work from the bowlers.”

Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith, leading in place of injured regular skipper Pat Cummins (sidelined by a back strain), admitted he would also have preferred to bowl first. “It was a tough call leaving out Brendan Doggett, but we wanted four quicks in these conditions. The wicket has plenty of green, so our batters will need to stay patient and disciplined,” Smith stated.

The Australian attack features Mitchell Starc, Michael Neser, Scott Boland, and Jhye Richardson, with Neser retaining his place after a five-wicket haul at The Gabba. Doggett, who claimed seven wickets in the opening two Tests, was omitted to make room for Richardson.

Spinner Todd Murphy, a potential replacement for the injured Nathan Lyon, also missed selection, marking the first Boxing Day Test since 2010 that Australia has played without a specialist spinner.Richardson’s selection follows promising performances for Western Australia and in warm-up matches against England Lions, where he bowled 20 and 26 overs respectively to prove his match fitness.

However, team management remains cautious about his throwing capacity, monitoring his fielding workload closely given his recent shoulder surgeries—the latest in January this year.

England, who named their XI two days earlier, made two key changes: Jacob Bethell replaced Ollie Pope, while pacer Gus Atkinson was recalled after Jofra Archer was ruled out of the tour with a side strain.Stokes, leading England in one of cricket’s most-watched spectacles, described the occasion as “a privilege to be part of such a massive sporting event,” adding that “the first five minutes are always the hardest, but once you settle, it’s just about playing good cricket.”

Playing XIs

Australia: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (captain), Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Cameron Green, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Scott Boland.England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar