Australia and England ring the changes
ENGLAND and Australia will mix up their batting orders and make changes to their bowling attacks for the pivotal fourth Test of an Ashes series that stands at 1-1.
Both teams used their week off in the middle of a dramatic, actionpacked series to tinker with their line-ups for the match in Manchester starting today.
England will drop Chris Woakes and select seam bowler Craig Overton instead, captain Joe Root said yesterday. Woakes pays the price for only taking a wicket in each of Australia’s innings in England’s extraordinary one-wicket win in the third Test at Headingly.
“This ground does perform slightly differently with an extra bit of bounce and a taller bowler will give us an extra option to go to,” Root said of Overton. “I feel like that balances out our attack really well in these conditions.”
Joe Denly will replace the struggling Jason Roy as the opening partner for Rory Burns at Old Trafford, with Roy dropping down to No 4 as he searches for some form in the Test arena. Root will stay at the No 3 spot.
“Jason is a high-quality player, we all know that, and he might be better suited at No 4,” Root said. “I think to play in an Ashes series is very exciting and he was extremely excited to get the chance to open the batting but I think that he might be better suited for the middle order on the evidence we have seen over the last three games.
“It’s a great opportunity for him to make it his own.”
Steve Smith’s return, after recovering from the effects of a concussion, and the dropping of Usman Khawaja will bring about a change in Australia’s batting line-up, too.
Marnus Labuschagne is expected to take Khawaja’s No 3 position in the batting order, with Smith slotting back into his customary No 4.
Pace bowler James Pattinson was dropped and Mitchell Starc has been named in the squad, putting him in contention to play his first Test of the series.
Head coach Justin Langer said the players were still reeling from the dramatic ending to the third test, where a victory would have seen Australia retain the Ashes.
“We felt like we got our Ashes stolen,” Langer said. “Now we’ve got to work out what we’re going to do.”