After Australia announced its squad for the Boxing Day Test, now England announce playing XI for the 4th Ashes test. There are quite a few chances that the England team has made to their starting eleven. The fourth Ashes, or call it the Boxing Day test, is all set to start from the 26th of December 2025 and will end on the 30th of December 2025. The Melbourne Cricket Ground, or simply the MCG in Melbourne, is the venue for the match.
Basically, now the England team has nothing to play apart from their pride as they have already lost the Ashes, as they are 3-0 down after the first three matches. They just lost the three matches under the span of 11 days, which itself is a humiliation for a team like England. Now, the question has also raised about the head coach, Brendon McCullum, regarding his BazBall style of play.
Also check out: Australia 4th Ashes Squad: No Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, who replaces them?
England announce playing XI for the 4th Ashes test | No Archer and Pope miss out
One of the biggest blows for the England team is Jofra Archer, who was one of the impressive players in the England team, has been ruled out of the test match due to an injury. The injury has been one of the reasons that has been a problem for the England pacer over the years, as he has missed almost four years before returning to the test match for the Ashes. Jofra Archer will miss both of the tests, first the Boxing Day test in Melbourne and later the fifth test at Sydney.
Gus Atkinson will be the player who will replace the injured Jofra Archer for the fourth test match. There were many concerns regarding the form of Ollie Pope, and finally, the coach and the captain have decided to drop him from the playing eleven for the fourth test match. The 22-year-old youngster, Jacob Bethell, will get a place in the team for Ollie Pope. England has also lost Mark Wood earlier in this series. Ben Stokes spoke to the media about Jofra Archer, and he said:
The effort that he’s put in over these three games has been exceptional.
There were a lot of question marks around his ability or whatever it may be coming out to Australia, and he’s put in a great effort for the team.
Ben Stokes on Ollie Pope:
He’s not going to be the only one who’s disappointed in the dressing room with how things have gone. Being 3-0 down, it’s a tough place to be on a trip like this.
There’s going to be a lot of disappointment within the dressing room from everyone who’s in there
This is surely a chance for the England team to take something from the series and at least end the series on a positive note. The long wait for England to win the Ashes continues, as the last time England won an Ashes Series was in 2015. It also might seem like the England Board can now move on from Brendon McCullum once the Ashes are over, but there is no such confirmation on the same.
England Playing XI for the fourth Ashes test vs Australia
- Batters: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, and Harry Brook
- All-rounders: Jacob Bethell, Ben Stokes (c), and Will Jacks
- Wicketkeepers: Jamie Smith
- Bowlers: Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, and Josh Tongue