Overview:
Australia will look to work on their batting weaknesses, while England will hope to win the last red-ball game of the Ashes.
England defeated Australia by 4 wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. While Australia have already retained the urn following their win in the first three Tests in a five-match series, the result will lift England as it was their first win in Australia in 19 attempts.
The result also impacted the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 points table. Before the Melbourne Test, Australia had a 100 percent record. This is their first loss in the ongoing cycle, finally giving some relief to other teams.
Despite the loss, Australia continues to lead the standings, but their PCT has dropped to 85.71%. They are favourites to play in their third WTC final, but the gap between Australia and New Zealand has reduced.
Ben Stokes’ team got 12 points for their win, but they are still behind. They are in 7th place with 35.18% PCT, still trailing the top teams by a significant margin.
New Zealand and South Africa have benefited the most from Australia’s setback. The race for the top position has opened up.
India are in the 6th place with a PCT of 48.15%. Australia and New Zealand are magnificent so far, and India will need to win most of their remaining matches to break into the top two teams. England, having secured a win, will look to surpass India in the upcoming matches.
The final Test of the Ashes will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 4. Australia will look to work on their batting weaknesses, while England will hope to win the last red-ball game of the Ashes.