FANTASY
Follow UsAustralia and England will square off for the fourth and penultimate Test of the ongoing 2021-22 Ashes series with Australia already leading the series 3-0. They have won the series in under 12 days and that has inflicted a kind of physiological pressure on the visitors that there are very few reasons to think anything positive about them. In such a situation, if England can stand up and make the naysayers believe in their approach, it would do long-term good for the Aussies.
Team Combination and Ground Details
Pacers have always had it easy in Australia but if there is one ground where the spinners can have an equal say, it has to be Sydney Cricket Ground. Spinners have taken 36.2% of wickets at the venue but since 2015, that number has gone up to 41.9 %. With three wickets per innings and an average of 49.3, spinners have done quite well, which made many assume that Australia would go with Mitchell Swepson but they eventually decided to replace Travis Head with veteran Usman Khawaja.
England have lost the services of Ollie Robinson due to a niggle and he is set to be replaced by Stuart Broad. That is a further cross on England’s plans as Robinson who is their best bowler in the series so far. England don’t have a spinner in their side. Will that be a decisive factor in the process?
Suggested Team
The team we've picked has a good mix of world-class batters and bowlers. But remember, while you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
Captain selection
In 2021 alone, Joe Root had amassed 1708 runs - the second-most Test runs for any batter in a year. He scored those runs at an average of 61.00 in 15 matches. In 2021 alone, his first-innings average stands at 51.14. In the ongoing Ashes, with 253 runs at an average of 42.16, he is the highest run-scorer as well. With such a record to back him up, you can be confident that Root would shoulder the responsibility once again.
Our Criclytics Player Projections predict Root to score over 66-99 runs
X-Factors
Warner averages 41.22 against England in Tests but in Australia, his batting average shoots through the roof as he ponders 63.03 runs per dismissal. Warner has an average of 56.59 in the first match innings. In the first team innings, his average is a fine average of 51.83 and hence he is going to be one of the most important players in your fantasy lineup.
Our Criclytics Player Projections predict Warner to score over 56-84 runs
Marnus Labuschagne averages 98.18 in the first match innings and 78.95 in the first team innings. In the last three years, his averages read 64.94, 67.16, and 65.75 respectively while his home average reads 70.00 in this period. In 7 Ashes Tests, he has a total of 582 runs at an average of 52.90. If that doesn’t convince you why you shouldn’t have you in your team, then perhaps nothing will.
Our Criclytics Player Projections predict Labuschagne to score over 48-72 runs
Probable XIs:
England XI: Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson.
Australia XI: Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon