Under gloomy skies, Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat Wednesday in the fourth Ashes test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Morning showers delayed the toss by 30 minutes. The pitch has a green tinge and is expected to assist bowlers with swing early, but the conditions didn't tempt Australia's fast bowling captain and talisman to take the ball first.
Australia, which retained the Ashes after completing a comprehensive innings and 14-run victory at Melbourne in the third test to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, made once enforced change with batsman Usman Khawaja coming in for Travis Head, who is absent after testing positive for the coronavirus.
England's Stuart Broad stands under cover as a light rain falls before the start of their Ashes cricket test match against Australia in Sydney, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)
Khawaja, playing his first test since 2019, has eight centuries from his 44 tests and scored 171 against England here four years ago.
Scott Boland, who claimed an incredible six wickets for seven runs in the second innings in a man-of-the-match performance in his debut at Melbourne last week, has retained his place in the starting team, with Josh Hazlewood yet to recover sufficiently from a side strain.
Cummins said Australia was hopeful that Hazlewood, with 215 wickets from 56 matches, would be available for selection for the fifth test in Hobart next week.
Tarpaulins cover the wicket as rain falls before England And Australia start their Ashes cricket test match in Sydney, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)
England recalled veteran paceman Stuart Broad, who comes in for the injured Ollie Robinson. Broad, with 526 wickets, has only played the pink-ball test in Adelaide this series and returned underwhelming match figures of 2-100.
England’s much-maligned batting lineup, which is yet to score an individual century or an innings total over 300 this series, is unchanged.
Both teams have selected just the one frontline spinner — Nathan Lyon for Australia and Jack Leach for England — with the SCG wicket not expected to have its traditional spin-friendly characteristics this match.
Rain periods are forecast for Sydney throughout the test.
Lineups:
Australia: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
England: Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (captain), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
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