The Ashes | With nothing to play for, it’s about battling inner demons in Hobart
Battered and bruised England have arrived in Hobart to save pride, like they did to some extent in the previous Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. When the chips were down, in nasty conditions, the old guard stood up against the lethal bowling attack of the Australians. Jack Leach started the act, but it was the duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson who held the fort by hook or by crook. Sydney was possibly the only Test where England can come and argue that their batting department collectively put up a show in the second innings. At a time when it felt like an easy victory for the Aussies, most of the English batters came together to see off incredibly difficult phases of play. But whatever it might be, let’s not look away from the fact that this team is 0-3 down in four Test matches, and having an incredible final day in Sydney does not mean that they will better from there in another set of tricky conditions in Hobart. England are anyway depleted further by the absence of Jos Buttler, who has been flown back to England to nurse his finger injury. And they will probably not be able to field Jonny Bairstow as well, who copped a nasty blow in the previous Test match at Sydney. So, in that case, just for this once, let us shift away from the collective and concentrate on the individual demons that have affected the big names in this series. Will Steve Smith get a century? By Steve Smith’s Ashes standards, this series has been pretty quiet. He has come close to a century only once. Synonymous with Ashes centuries since his transformation to a batter, Smith will be under added pressure in tough conditions in Hobart. Will Labushchange break Mark Wood juju? Mark Wood has had Marus Labuschange’s number throughout this series. So much so that Marnus was forced to make a change to his already quirky technique. Wood has forced the edge out of him several times in the series and now it would be upon Marnus to figure out how to get out of his trap. Does Scott Boland come in Joe Root’s dreams? Prolific by any standards in any era of cricket, Joe Root was enjoying a brilliant season. He was excellent in the early phase of this series as well, but then out of nowhere, Australia sprung up a surprise, a 32-year old one to be specific. Before Boland was introduced into the Australian playing XI, Root was quite vocal about knowing what he needed to do to get his century Down Under. Once Boland came into the fray in the third Test match, he has gotten rid of Joe Root thrice in his last 27 balls, and the English captain has not scored a single run against him. Quite astonishing indeed. Fair to say, that a batsman like Joe Root has enough self awareness to know that something is going awfully wrong for him to not have scored a single run against a particular bowler. Boland, a player for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League, will know these conditions fairly well and Joe Root will have to muster a lot of courage and patience to chase that elusive hundred Down Under in the final Test match of the series. Match Details The Ashes | Australia vs England Match Number - 5th Test Venue - Bellerive Oval, Hobart Timing - 9:30 AM IST Broadcast - Sony Sports Network Pitch Report Hobart is known for its windy conditions given its proximity to the sea. A fair bit of grass has been left in the pitch and considering that it is a pink ball Test match, pacers might get a lot out of the conditions. This is the first time that Hobart will be hosting an Ashes Test and that might add to the excitement alongside a nippy wicket. So, if you win the toss, definitely bowl first. Team news Australia Australia have not announced their first XI for the final Test yet, but what they have confirmed from their side is that Usman Khawaja will be rewarded for his incredible twin centuries. Uzi will be opening with his childhood friend David Warner and Travis Head will come back in the middle order slot. This means that Marcus Harris will be going out for the final Test match. There is an air of uncertainty around the fitness of Scott Boland, but Australian side have tried to keep the vibe positive by stating that the breakthrough debutant has trained well in the previous net sessions. If under any circumstances he misses out, Jhye Richardson should be an automatic fit in the squad. Probable Playing XI David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschange, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Lyon England England were already stretched thin and now they will be forced to make tactical changes. Ollie Pope is likely going to replace Buttler for his keeping position and if England are not able to play Bairstow, Sam Billings would probably get a debut. Jack Leach will most likely make way for another pacer in the team and Ollie Robinson is most likely to play. Probable Playing XI Zack Crawley, Rory Burns, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Sam Billings, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad CE Fantasy XI Alex Carey, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (c), Dawid Malan, Zack Crawley, Marnus Labuschange, Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Mitchell Starc (vc), Pat Cummins, Mark Wood
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