Australia playing XI for Boxing Day Test at MCG
England win the toss and elect to field in the Boxing Day Test as Jhye Richardson is chosen for his first Test appearance in more than four years.
Courtesy of ICCAustralia have locked in their playing XI for the Boxing Day Test against England, with injury-plagued pacer Jhye Richardson winning the nod for the final spot in the side ahead of fellow quick Brendan Doggett.
Richardson hasn't played a Test match in more than four years, but the right-armer has recovered from his shoulder problem and will join Australia's four-pronged pace attack for the MCG contest.
Left-armer Mitchell Starc will spearhead the Aussies' fast bowling line-up in the absence of skipper Pat Cummins, with Scott Boland, Michael Neser and Richardson joining a bowling group without the services of experienced spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon is nursing a hamstring injury he hurt during the Adelaide Test as Australia opened up an unassailable 3-0 advantage in the five-match ICC World Test Championship series.
England had named their XI on Tuesday, with Jacob Bethell and Gus Atkinson coming into the side to replace Ollie Pope and Jofra Archer.
Ben Stokes had no hesitation in opting to field on an overcast day in Melbourne, with the tourists desperate for early wickets on a cool day at the MCG with a crowd in excess of 90,000 expected to attend.
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Teams
Australia XI: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Scott Boland
England 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
By Jonathan Healy, at the MCG
Source: ICC