FANTASY
Follow UsAustralia and England will square off for the fifth and final Test of the ongoing 2021-22 Ashes series with the home side 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. However, England showed signs of fight in Sydney, playing a draw and thus evading a whitewash. It will be interesting to see if they can move forward with the same approach in Hobart.
Team Combination and Ground Details
The biggest significance of this Test lies in the venue. Hobart’s Bellerive Oval is set to host its first Ashes Test in its history of hosting international cricket since 1988. The opportunity may have come due to a Covid complication but it is the greatest moment in Hobart's cricketing annals. This is also the first Test at the venue since 2016.
The venue offers a level of uncertainty for both sides. Since 2010, it is the most bowling-friendly ground among the six Test venues in Australia with five Tests or more. 80 percent of these wickets are picked by pace bowlers.
In 2016, Australia were bowled out for 85 and 161 against South Africa. That was also a day-night match.
There is grass on the pitch a day before the match although no one is sure how the track will play.
Team suggestion
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
Barring the freakish Scott Boland show in the previous two games, Pat Cummins has the best bowling strike-rate this series - taking his 14 wickets at 42.9 balls apiece. Despite playing a match less, the Australian skipper is among the top three wicket-takers in the series. Cummins managed only four wickets in the Sydney Test but that was a slow wicket. Given Hobart’s history, he should have plenty of help from the surface in the fifth Test. Hence, he is an excellent pick as a captain. Not to forget, Cummins contributes with the bat as well.
Our Criclytics Player Projection predicts Cummins to pick 5-7 wickets in this match
X-Factors
Cameron Green has been fantastic for Australia with the ball this series. Except the second innings of the Adelaide Test, Green has been among wickets in each of the other seven innings he has bowled in. He averages only 15.4 for his nine wickets this series. An all-rounder, Green hit form with the bat Sydney where he scored a quickfire fifty.
Eight wickets at an average of 37.6 and a strike-rate of 65 don’t do justice to the effort Mark Wood has put in this series. He has probably troubled the Australian batters the most with his pace and bounce. Surely his time is near where he will bear fruits for the hard toil. We expect things to work out for him on the lively Hobart pitch.
Here are the top-10 picks as per Criclytics projected points-
Probable XIs:
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
England: Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings (wk), Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood