Last Updated on 1 month by Charbel Coorey

Ashes 2021/22 4th Test: AUS vs ENG Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | Ashes 4th Test Dream11 Prediction Today | Australia vs England 4th Test Key Players | SCG Pitch Report

Australia started the Ashes series as favourites, but not even they could have expected to have sealed the series so easily. Pat Cummins, who was named as captain right on the eve of the series, has enjoyed the perfect start to life as skipper, as he and his bowlers have tormented England across 12 dominant days.

The series moves to Sydney, under both a weather and COVID-19 cloud. New South Wales is seeing upwards of 20,000 cases a day which puts the players on full alert, particularly after Travis Head and Chris Silverwood tested positive. Also, in what is becoming a regular occurrence in the SCG New Year’s Test, rain is expected to cause interruptions, particularly across the first two days.

Not that it will worry Australia too much, though. The bowlers have been all over England like a bad rash, with Scott Boland the latest destroyer with a remarkable 6/7 on Test debut. Mitchell Starc is bowling as well as he ever has, and Cummins continues to do Pat Cummins things as England continue to look for answers. With Cameron Green and Nathan Lyon providing more than capable support, the Australians will be out to cause more pain for the tourists on what looks a green SCG track.

Only Joe Root and Dawid Malan have provided any meaningful resistance with the bat for England. It is a lineup crying out for more from the experienced Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, who have been under par alongside the struggling openers. The Ashes may be gone, but World Test Championship points are still on offer, and England finally look to have their most balanced attack on deck for a match in this series.

Can England finally pick up their first win in Australia since 2011? Bangladesh’s superb performance in New Zealand may just remind them that anything is possible.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Australia:

• David Warner is Australia’s second-highest run-scorer in this series behind Travis Head. He has made two scores in the 90s, and will be aiming to crack the century in this Test.
• Warner has scored four centuries in nine Tests at the SCG at an overall average of 57.69.
• It is remarkable that Australia have been so dominant with Steve Smith well below his best. He has scored the most runs at the SCG of any current Australian player, with 823 runs in eight Tests at a superb average of 74.81. This includes a century and 81 last year vs India.
• World number one Marnus Labuschagne missed out in Melbourne. How he and Smith handle Mark Wood’s pace will be interesting to see. Labuschagne has struck two 50s and a century in this series, and scored 91 and 73 vs India on this ground last year.
• Labuschagne has a magnificent record at the SCG. He has struck 476 runs in just three Tests on this ground with three fifties and a double century.
• Usman Khawaja is back for Australia and he has a wonderful record at the SCG. In five Tests, Khawaja has hit 352 runs at an average of 70.40.
• Pat Cummins has taken 10 wickets in this series at an average of just 14.40. The skipper has taken 17 wickets in four Tests on this ground, including a player of the match performance vs England in 2018 (4/80 and 4/39).
• Can Scott Boland make another strong impact? He is coming off a player of the match performance on Test debut, where he took a remarkable 6/7 in the second innings.

England:

• Joe Root, of course. The England skipper has scored eight half-centuries in his last eight Tests in Australia, but has failed to convert any. This includes two half-centuries in the Sydney Test in 2017/18 (83 and 58*).
• Root finished 2021 with 1,708 runs – the third-highest accumulation in a calendar year in Test history.
• Dawid Malan is the other player to put up fight in this series. He also scored a half-century in the SCG Test of 2017/18 (63), and has two fifties to his name in this series.
• Can Ben Stokes make an impact? England’s star all-rounder has now fallen below Mitchell Starc in the Test all-rounder rankings, which may fire him up a little. He is averaging just 16.83 with the bat and 62.25 with the ball in this series.
• James Anderson had the ball on a string at the MCG (4/33), and he should be a factor once again on a greenish pitch in overcast Sydney. He has taken 14 wickets in four Tests on this ground at an average of 29.00.
• Mark Wood has dismissed both Steve Smith (Gabba) and Marnus Labuschagne (MCG) cheaply this series. He will be key as England’s point of difference in this Test.

Stats and Facts

• England have not won a Test in Australia in their last 13 attempts. Their last win was at the SCG in 2011.
• Mitchell Starc (42.30) and Nathan Lyon (40.94) both average above 40 in Tests at the SCG.
• Stuart Broad has taken five wickets at the SCG at an average of 48.60. This surface should have more in it for him, however.

Possible Playing 11

Australia have confirmed their XI for the Test. Usman Khawaja returns to the team with Travis Head isolating due to COVID-19. Also, Scott Boland keeps his place with Josh Hazlewood still out injured.

Australia: 1. Marcus Harris, 2. David Warner, 3. Marnus Labuschagne, 4. Steve Smith, 5. Usman Khawaja, 6. Cameron Green, 7. Alex Carey (wk), 8. Pat Cummins (c), 9. Mitchell Starc, 10. Nathan Lyon, 11. Scott Boland

England have also confirmed their XI. James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Mark Wood will make up the pace attack.

England: 1. Haseeb Hameed, 2. Zak Crawley, 3. Dawid Malan, 4. Joe Root (c), 5. Ben Stokes, 6. Jonny Bairstow, 7. Jos Buttler (wk), 8. Mark Wood, 9. Jack Leach, 10. Stuart Broad, 11. James Anderson

SCG Pitch Report and Weather

The Sydney forecast for the SCG Test, in what has become tradition, is for some rain. There should be enough play for a result in the Test, but expect some interruptions on the first two days in particular.

The pitch itself looked quite green on the eve of the match. Expect the seamers to have a say on a surface that looks similar to the one that Australia rolled England for 68 on.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Alex Carey
• Batsmen: Marnus Labuschagne, Dawid Malan
• All-rounders: Joe Root
• Bowlers: James Anderson, Pat Cummins

Match Prediction

Australia look too strong and should make it 4-0, despite the rain around.