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AUS vs ENG 3rd Test preview [Source: @cricketcomau/x]
Australia (AUS) and England (ENG) will collide in the third Test of the ongoing five-match 2025-26 Ashes series from December 17 onwards. The match will be hosted by the iconic Adelaide Oval in Adelaide and the action will commence from 5:00 AM IST on each match day.
Australia
Australia crushed England by eight wickets in each of the first two Tests to go 2-0 up in the 2025-26 Ashes series. Travis Head bludgeoned an electrifying century in Perth last month, while every single Australian batter came to the fore in Brisbane in a century-less innings. Legendary fast bowler Mitchell Starc is leading the wicket-taking charts of the series by a landslide through his 18-wicket series haul after just four innings.
England
The England cricket team has incurred four defeats in their last seven Tests, all during the ongoing 2025-27 WTC cycle. Currently placed seventh on the nine-team standings, England need to win the impending third Test to stay alive in the series, and also to climb higher on the WTC charts. Among batters, Joe Root is the only Englishman this series who has aggregated over 150 runs. Fast bowlers like Brydon Carse and Ben Stokes have fired in various critical junctures, but both speedsters are yet to deliver a single knockout spell.
AUS vs ENG head-to-head overview
Australia and England teams have faced each other 363 times in Test cricket. Australia holds the head-to-head advantage with 154 wins in comparison to England’s 112 wins. The remaining 97 matches have resulted in draws.
| Matches | Australia won | England won | Draws |
| 363 | 154 | 112 | 97 |
Adelaide Oval in Adelaide pitch report
The surface at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide generally offers lesser pace and bounce in comparison to the surfaces in Perth and Brisbane. Fast bowlers will be expected to receive a hint of lateral movement, especially with the new ball. It is advisable for the quicks to bowl slightly fuller in a bid to trouble the batters. Batters can score runs freely after biding time in the middle and seeing off the early threat.
The pitch at the Adelaide Oval will likely favour spin bowlers on Days 4 and 5. The average first innings total at the venue across all Tests played so far has turned out to be 377.
Australia and England probable playing XI
Australia confirmed XI
Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
England confirmed XI
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith, Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue
Top run scorers in AUS vs ENG Tests
We are considering only the players from the current squad.
Steve Smith – 3,520 runs
Australian legend Steve Smith has aggregated the highest number of Ashes runs among all active players, and the third highest overall with 3,520 runs in just 70 innings at a prolific batting average of 55.87. The cricketer has plundered 12 Test hundreds and 14 fifties against England in the process.
Joe Root – 2,589 runs
Joe Root is England’s most proficient active player in terms of run-making against Australia in the Ashes. The modern-day great has already minted 2,589 runs in 69 innings in the Ashes at an average of 41.09 with five tons and 18 half-centuries.
Ben Stokes – 1,639 runs
England captain Ben Stokes has hauled 1,639 runs against Australia in 49 Test innings spanning 26 Ashes fixtures at an average of 34.87 with four tons and nine fifties.
Top wicket-takers in AUS vs ENG Tests
We are considering only the players from the current squad.
Mitchell Starc – 115 wickets
Legendary Australian paceman Mitchell Starc has scalped 115 England wickets in just 46 innings from 24 Ashes Tests at an exceptional bowling average of 25.27. The cricketer has claimed 18 of those wickets in the ongoing 2025-26 Ashes series itself.
Nathan Lyon – 110 wickets
Seasoned Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon has picked up 110 wickets against England in 31 Tests. Lyon has maintained an average of just 29.50 against them.
Pat Cummins – 91 wickets
Australian captain and comeback man Pat Cummins has snared 91 wickets against England in just 19 matches since his Ashes debut back in 2017. The legendary fast bowler has seven four-wicket hauls and two-five fers to his name.
AUS vs ENG key stats
Australia key records
- Batting icon Steve Smith has aggregated the highest number of runs among all Australian batters in recent memory, having tallied 771 runs in his last nine matches.
- Australian speed demon Mitchell Starc has picked up 48 wickets in his last 10 Tests to lead his team’s wicket-taking charts over the past few months.
- Travis Head’s batting strike rate of 83.54 marks the third highest among all Test batters in the year 2025 so far.
- Travis Head, who averages 42.04 in Test cricket, holds an impressive batting average of 79.25 at the Adelaide Oval.
- Australia is currently on a five-match winning streak, and is yet to single match in the ongoing 2025-27 WTC points table.
England key records
- Joe Root has plundered 927 runs in his last 10 Tests to emerge as England’s most prolific run-maker in the last few months.
- England captain and legendary all-rounder Ben Stokes has taken the highest wickets among all players in his team in recent past, with 35 scalps in nine matches.
- Ben Duckett is holding a batting strike rate of 86.49 this year, the highest among all players with over 500 runs in the last 12 months.
- England opener Zak Crawley averages a staggering 54 against ace Australian paceman Pat Cummins, at a staggering strike rate of above 75.
Records that can be broken in AUS vs ENG 3rd Test
- Nathan Lyon needs just two more wickets to surpass Glenn McGrath’s 563-wicket collection to become Australia’s second most successful bowler of all time.
- Usman Khawaja needs just 37 more runs to complete 500 Test runs in the calendar year 2025.
- Mitchell Starc needs only three more wickets to complete 50 Test wickets this year.
- Ben Duckett needs 64 more runs to complete 3,000 runs in Test cricket.
- Harry Brook requires another 82 runs to complete 3,000 runs in his Test career.
- Jaimie Smith needs only 10 more runs to bring up 500 Test runs in the year 2025.
- Ben Stokes needs only one more wicket to complete 50 wickets in Ashes Tests.
