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AUS vs ENG statistical preview: Key stats, records and head-to-head ahead of 4th Ashes Test

Mayank

The 4th Test will be played at MCG from December 26 [Source: JoeRoot66Fan/X.com]The 4th Test will be played at MCG from December 26 [Source: JoeRoot66Fan/X.com]

The fourth Ashes Test between arch-rivals Australia and England will be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which will be the traditional Boxing Day Test, to be played from December 26 to 30, with massive crowds expected to turn up at the venue. All five days of the match will commence at 5 am (IST).

Australia

Just a Test after returning to the playing XI, captain Pat Cummins is set to miss the remainder of the series, courtesy of a back injury. He will be joined by his New South Wales teammate Nathan Lyon, who sustained another hamstring injury after his match-defining 5/147 in Adelaide. The duo has been replaced by Jhye Richardson and Todd Murphy in the roster, while the latter has not cut the final 12. Josh Inglis is also going to miss the match, and the are Aussies are set to go with a four-pacer attack.

Following Steve Smith's return, the Aussies will look to further worsen things for the English camp in Melbourne. The likes of Travis Head, Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey will aim to continue their form with the bat, while Starc will try to dismantle the visitors once again.

England

On the other hand, after things went south for the visitors in the first three Tests, they have suffered a big blow, with lead pacer Jofra Archer once again injured and about to miss both the remaining Tests. The pacer has been replaced by Gus Atkinson, while Jacob Bethell has replaced former vice-captain Ollie Pope amid the recent controversy.

Many eyes will be on Joe Root alongside captain Ben Stokes on how they try to lead the team back to winning ways and escape further disappointment. The MCG Test could very well be detrimental to the future of Bazball and how England cricket moves forward.

AUS vs ENG head-to-head overview

Australia and England have locked horns in a whopping 364 Test matches, where the Aussies have a comfortable lead with 155 wins to England's 112. So far, 97 matches between them have finished in a draw. In 57 Tests at the MCG, Australia have 29 wins, while England have won 20 and 8 have been draws.

Matches
Australia won
England won
Draws
36415511297

Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne pitch report

The MCG usually provides proper Test match wickets, where the pacers get help early on, before it eases for the batters and a bit of help for the spinners towards the end. However, from the early images of the pitch, it looks like a green wicket, where the pacers will love to bowl with good seam presentation and have some lateral movement on the first two days.

Australia's all-pace bowling attack selection is a good indication of what is going to be on offer, and the team winning the toss is highly likely to bowl first.

AUS vs ENG probable lineups for 4th Ashes Test

Australia

Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Michael Neser, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland.

England (confirmed XI)

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue.

Top run-scorers in AUS vs ENG Tests

(Considering only the current squads)

1. Steve Smith - 3520 runs

The Aussie skipper has faced England in 39 Tests and 70 innings and has scored 3520 runs at an average of 55.87. He has 12 hundreds and 14 fifties in the Ashes, alongside the best score of 239. He is fourth in the list of all-time scorers in Ashes cricket, behind Alan Border, Jack Hobbs and Sir Don Bradman.

2. Joe Root - 2647 runs

Another member of the Fab-4, England batter Joe Root has 2647 Ashes runs after 37 matches and 71 innings against the Aussies. He has an average of 40.72 for 5 centuries and 18 fifties to his name. His best score is 180, and the player recently got his first century down under, scoring 138* in a losing cause at the Gabba.

3. Ben Stokes - 1727 runs

The England skipper has 1727 runs in 27 Tests and 51 innings against the Aussies. He averages 35.24 and has scored four centuries and 10 fifties in their battles, with the best score of 155 coming at Lord's. He has also scored a solitary century in Australia, which came at the W.A.C.A.

Top wicket-takers in AUS vs ENG Tests

(Only considering the current squads)

1. Mitchell Starc - 119 wickets

The leading wicket-taker of the ongoing series, Mitchell Starc, is also the highest wicket-taking bowler of the Ashes among current players with 119 scalps to his name in 25 Tests and 48 innings. He has a bowling average of 25.46 and a strike rate of 42.3. Starc has also taken 6 five-fers and a 10-fer against England. He also has the best figures of 7/58 against them in Tests.

2. Ben Stokes - 50 wickets

The England all-rounder features in the top-3 bowlers as well, having picked 50 Ashes wickets in 27 Tests and 36 innings. He has an average of 36.6 and a strike rate of 56.1, with three five-fers against Australia. His best figures read 6/36 in AUS-ENG clashes.

3. Scott Boland - 31 wickets

Boland has picked up 31 wickets against England in 8 Tests. His miserly bowling has helped him achieve an average of 22.96 and a strike rate of 42.3 at an economy of 3.25 vs England. Notably, his famous 6/7 spell came at the same venue when the visitors last visited Australia.

AUS vs ENG key stats

Australia

  • Opener Travis Head is Australia's leading run-scorer in 2025 Tests, with 745 runs in 19 innings, averaging 42.16 and two centuries to his name.
  • In Tests, Starc is the highest wicket-taker in the calendar year with 51 wickets in 20 innings, averaging just 17.15 with a strike rate of 28.7.
  • Australia has won 9/10 Tests in 2025, i.e., 90% matches. Their only defeat was against South Africa in the World Test Championship final.
  • Mitchell Starc vs Ben Stokes: 27 innings, 12 dismissals, 223 runs at an average of 18.58.
  • Travis Head vs Gus Atkinson: 4 innings, 1 dismissal, 71 runs at an average of 71, SR of 112.69.
  • Marnus Labuschagne vs Ben Stokes: 11 innings, 2 dismissals, 130 runs at an average of 65

England

  • Joe Root is England's highest run-getter in 2025, with 790 runs in 16 innings, averaging 56.42 with 4 hundreds.
  • Captain Ben Stokes is their leading wicket-taker with 29 wickets in 15 innings. He has a bowling average of 24.62 and a strike rate of 43.3 this year. His two five-fers include a 5/23 in this series.
  • England has an underwhelming record of 3/9 Test wins in 2025. They have lost five and drawn one Test this year.
  • They possess a decent record of 20 wins in 57 matches played at the MCG. They have managed to draw 8 and lost 29 at the venue.

Records that can be broken in AUS vs ENG, 4th Test

  • Joe Root can equal Ricky Ponting's record for most Test centuries (41) to go up to number 3.
  • Steve Smith can surpass Rahul Dravid's Test century tally of 36 tons, and twin centuries could level him with Kumar Sangakkara's 38.
  • Smith (3520) can surpass Alan Border (3548) and Jack Hobbs (3636) to become the second-highest run-scorer in Ashes history.
  • The Australia captain, who is joint-second in the list of most Ashes hundreds (12), can go past Jack Hobbs.
  • Mitchell Starc (424) can surpass Rangana Herath (433) and become the highest wicket-taking left arm bowler in Tests — while doing so, he will also go past Sir Richard Hadlee's Test wicket tally of 431 wickets.
  • Ben Stokes (11,245) is 70 runs away from surpassing Andrew Strauss to enter the top-10 highest run-scorers for England across formats.
  • Harry Brook (2993) and Ben Duckett (2969) can join the 3000-run club.