by bigfluffylemon » Tue Jan 02, 2018 8:49 am
And so to the traditional final test of the summer. Deadest of dead rubbers, with the Ashes gone and the whitewash averted, neither side has much to play for beyond a bit of pride. In fact, it has been so long since the Ashes have been on the line in the Sydney test, I am surprised the good folk of the Harbour City still attend in the numbers they do, rather than going on strike and demanding to be moved up in the calendar now and then (it's not just the Ashes, Australia have claimed nearly every series of the last seven or eight years well before the tourists have arrived in Sydney).
With little concrete to play for, both sides may consider bringing in some newer blood for a run out. Ashton Agar, a bowler most famous for his batting, has been added to the Australian squad, although threats of two spinners in Sydney are often made and seldom followed through (I sometimes wonder if the intent is to sucker the opposition). Should Michell Starc be fit, Jackson Bird will make way, after a poor showing in Melbourne (on an admittedly unhelpful surface for his style of bowling).
On the England side, word is that Moeen Ali may be dropped, and England may give young Mason Crane a game. Although Ali balances the side on paper, in practice he's been a walking wicket, so he won't weaken the batting to any noticeable degree. Other possible changes are Ben Foakes being given the gloves to strengthen the batting (meaning England would play three seamers and Crane, with Root and Malan providing backup). There has also been rumour of a batsman or two coming in from the Lions, with James Vince most likely to make way, although I will be surprised if England do go down that particular path.
The forecast for Sydney is not great, so if England can continue the batting revival that began in Perth and continued in Melbourne, another damp draw may be on the cards.