Australia
England
Australia will head into the third Test at Adelaide with full control of the series. A 2-0 lead will put the Ashes urn firmly within reach. One more win, or even a draw, will be enough for Australia to retain the trophy. Australia will arrive on the back of 5 straight Test wins, and conditions at Adelaide will suit their balanced attack.
England will face a steep challenge. History will not support a comeback. No team since 1936-37 will have recovered from a 2-0 deficit to win a five-Test series. England will also carry a poor away record, with 15 losses and two draws in their last 17 Ashes Tests in Australia. They will remember the 2023 home series fightback, but this task will be far tougher.
Form will also matter. England will have won only 1 of their last 5 Tests. They are also searching for their first Test win in Australia after 17 attempts.
Australia’s bowling unit will dominate because Mitchell Starc already has 18 wickets in the series and now has support from Pat Cummins, while England lacks a match-winning bowler.
The betting tip is...
Top Bowler’s Team - Australia
63 %
37 %
AustraliaEnglandJosh Hazlewood will miss the remainder of the Ashes due to a calf setback. The biggest boost will come from the return of captain Pat Cummins, who will be included in the XI immediately.
Usman Khawaja will also return to the squad after missing the second Test with a back injury. However, a spot at the top will remain uncertain after strong performances from Jake Weatherald and Travis Head, one of Australia’s most reliable batters across formats.
Cameron Green will likely stay at No. 5 to strengthen the middle order. Nathan Lyon will return after missing a home Test for the first time in 13 years. Mitchell Starc will lead the attack after taking 18 wickets across the first two Tests, supported by Cummins and Scott Boland.
Starc, Cummins and Lyon are the key bowlers.
Predicted Lineup: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
Mark Wood is ruled out of the Ashes. Matthew Fisher is his replacement, with his only Test in 2022 against the West Indies. England will take positives from the first-innings effort at the Gabba. Joe Root followed his first Test hundred in Australia, which was his 40th overall. But the second innings collapse will hurt, with only one fifty coming from Ben Stokes.
England’s batting will again rely heavily on Root and Harry Brook. Root will carry 927 runs at 57.94 in his last 10 matches. Brook will bring 816 runs at 45.33 at a strike rate of 86.62. The top order of Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope will need to survive Mitchell Starc’s new ball.
England’s bowling will remain a concern despite Brydon Carse’s 9 wickets in two Tests and Stokes’ 35 wickets in his last 9 matches.
Stokes, Carse and Archer are the key bowlers.
Predicted Lineup: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Fisher, Jofra Archer
Australia will start the third Test as clear favourites at Adelaide. Their bowling attack will again set the tone. Mitchell Starc will continue to trouble England’s top order with the new ball. He will come into this match after taking 18 wickets across the first two Tests and winning Player of the Match twice.
England’s key batters have already struggled badly against him. The return of Pat Cummins will add more control and pressure from the other end. Nathan Lyon will also bring his experience as the match progresses with Scott Boland.
England’s batting will remain under stress, especially against the new ball. Australia’s bowlers will dominate key phases and put the hosts in a winning position with their bowling performance.
