ACE MASON SPIN WITH A CHANCE
ENGLAND could throw young leg-spinner Mason Crane in at the deep end by handing him his Test debut on Boxing Day.
The 20-year-old is in the frame for the fourth Test in Melbourne which will attract a crowd of 90,000.
He will get the nod if England decide to go with just three seamers as they seek to avoid an Ashes whitewash.
Craig Overton is almost certain to be ruled out due to a cracked rib but the paceman will remain with the squad with the hope of being fit for the final match in Sydney.
England will take a look at the pitch before deciding on their line-up, with Mark Wood and Tom Curran also pushing for Overton’s place if coach Trevor Bayliss and Joe Root decide the pitch is not going to offer the slow bowlers enough encouragement.
Stuart Broad will also be monitored in the build-up after admitting he was struggling with a left knee problem.
Like most of the team, Broad has struggled Down Under but believes he can turn his tour round and still has the full backing of skipper Root. Overton has been one of the winter’s success stories and has an eye on being fit for the fifth Test. He suffered the injury after a blow to his left side while batting against Josh Hazlewood in Adelaide. He then aggravated it attempting to take a catch off his own bowling on day two in Perth. Overton said: “It’s obviously quite sore. “We’ll wait and see but I hope three or four days will help but while the draw of playing in Melbourne will be absolutely massive, you’ve got to be realistic about these things.
“There’s another game after Melbourne and the New Zealand Test series as well, so it’s the bigger picture, not just one game.”
England have decided to axe Ben Duckett (inset) from the England Lions tour of the West Indies in February and March as a result of his antics in Perth.
The batsman had previously been fined, given a final written warning and dropped for a tour game after he is said to have poured a drink over fast bowler Jimmy Anderson.