{"id":202993,"date":"2025-12-25T08:37:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T08:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/202993\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T08:37:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T08:37:13","slug":"ashes-why-australia-havent-named-their-boxing-day-test-xi-yet-cricket-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/202993\/","title":{"rendered":"Ashes: Why Australia haven’t named their Boxing Day Test XI yet | Cricket News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ashes:Australia’s captain Steve Smith. (AP Photo) Australia are in no rush to lock in their playing XI for the Boxing Day Test, with stand-in captain Steve Smith revealing selectors want another close look at a \u201cquite furry\u201d Melbourne Cricket Ground surface before finalising their pace-heavy attack.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!<\/a>Despite confirming Australia will field an all-pace bowling unit for the fourth Ashes Test, Smith said the exact combination of quicks will only be settled after a final inspection of the wicket on Friday. Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser and returning fast bowler Jhye Richardson are vying for the last two bowling spots. <\/p>\n

Naseem Shah interview: Pakistan bowler opens up on bouts with injuries and tough recovery<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve landed on a 12, we just want to take a look at the wicket tomorrow,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt\u2019s got about 10mm of grass on it, quite furry, quite green. I dare say it\u2019s going to offer quite a bit, particularly on day one with the weather looking cold and overcast.\u201dSmith added that conditions through the week appear \u201cconducive\u201d for seam bowling, reinforcing Australia\u2019s decision to go without a spinner, even if Nathan Lyon had been available.\u201cIf Nathan was available, we\u2019d probably still be having the same conversation,\u201d Smith said. \u201cSo it\u2019s certainly nothing to do with Todd Murphy\u2019s skill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poll<\/p>\n

Should Australia maintain the pace-heavy strategy moving forward in the series?<\/p>\n

The delay in naming the XI also comes amid enforced changes. Regular skipper Pat Cummins has been rested for workload management, while Lyon\u2019s hamstring injury has ruled him out for the remainder of the series. Smith returns to captain the side after missing the third Test with an inner-ear issue, saying he is now feeling \u201c100 per cent\u201d.\u201cIt was a shame to miss that one,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI was watching from the hotel and wished I could have been out there, but it was the right call at the time.\u201dSmith\u2019s return reshapes the batting order. Usman Khawaja, who made 82 and 40 after a late recall in Adelaide, will drop to No.5, while Alex Carey remains at six following his match-winning century in the Ashes-clinching third Test. Cameron Green is set to bat at seven, edging out Josh Inglis.The bowling focus, however, remains the main talking point. Neser is chasing his first red-ball Test appearance, Doggett offers continuity after Brisbane, and Richardson is closing in on his first Test in four years.\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see Richardson back into the fold,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWe know the skills he can possess. When he\u2019s had opportunities at this level, he\u2019s been outstanding.\u201dAustralia hold a 3-0 lead in the series, but Smith insisted selection decisions will be dictated purely by conditions, not the scoreboard, as the hosts look to make full use of what could be a lively Boxing Day pitch.Australia XII for fourth Test: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australia’s captain Steve Smith. (AP Photo) Australia are in no rush to lock in their playing XI for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":202994,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[114084,114092,114087,114089,85,46,114085,114091,114086,105,114088,114090],"class_list":{"0":"post-202993","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-australia-boxing-day-test","9":"tag-australia-cricket-team","10":"tag-australian-cricket-squad","11":"tag-bowling-attack-selection","12":"tag-il","13":"tag-israel","14":"tag-melbourne-cricket-ground-pitch","15":"tag-nathan-lyon-injury","16":"tag-pace-heavy-attack-australia","17":"tag-sports","18":"tag-steve-smith-captain","19":"tag-test-cricket-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202993\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}