With Ashes on the line, England seek to begin comeback in Adelaide

Most times you need real life to provide perspective and context to the rollercoaster of emotions that sport brings to the fore. But there are some days when there's nothing better than sport to provide an escape from the horrors of real life. And tragically that's where we find ourselves on the eve of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.

For, it will be played in the midst of nationwide mourning for the terror that played out at Bondi Beach over the weekend in Sydney. The players from both teams will sport black armbands throughout the match, and the flags will be flown at half-mast. There will also be special tributes paid to the victims before the start of play on Wednesday.

Then the first ball will be bowled, and the Ashes rivalry will resume. And this England team will have one final chance of keeping their dreams of beating Australia in their den going. It will have to start however by winning one Test, something no England team has managed to do in the last 15 years, as has been well-publicised.

Another loss and it'll not only be a premature end to all their best laid plans over the last three-and-a-half years, but also the beginning of some intense scrutiny around their top brass and the philosophy that they brought into the English cricket psyche.

It'll not only mean criticism and critique but the possibility of a proper upheaval where the likes of coach Brendon McCullum and others may risk losing their jobs.

It's got to that point now, where it's no longer about simply winning and losing but it's about putting this entire Bazball belief system under the microscope.

The best way for the visitors to thwart that is to somehow find a way of getting one back at the Aussies. That mission will have to start with heeding to their inspirational captain's call to action for his players to fight and to show some "dog" during the third Test. It was an intense Stokes who fronted up to the media after the Gabba defeat and it was an even more reflective England captain who spoke on the eve of the Test today at the Adelaide Oval.

Stokes spoke about honest conversations, straight talking and getting his players to show "fight" in every situation and even in those where they are not directly involved in. Like he did in the second innings in Brisbane, even if it was in vain.

Australia on the other hand are buoyed by the return of their regular captain, who has been chomping at the bits to make his first appearance in this highly-billed series. If anything, it only pushes the English further towards the wall, and the stage is set for them to either forge one of the most dramatic comebacks of all time, or simply have their longstanding plans fall by the wayside and their legacy of being the ultimate game-changers hanging by a thread.

The Aussies have long spoken about finding their ruthless edge again, and there were signs of it at the Gabba, but nothing will establish this team and take them to the next level more than sealing the Ashes 3-0 in Adelaide before they look to enforce a whitewash.

When: Australia v England, 3rd Ashes Test, December 17-21, 2025, 10:00 hrs Local Time, 10:30 hrs AEDT, 05:00 hrs IST

Where: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

What to expect: Damian Hough takes a lot of pride in every surface he produces, and what makes him the premier Test pitch curator in the country. And he sounded very happy with what he's dishing out for the Christmas Test, with 6 mm grass on top and what he considers the perfect pitch for all parties concerned. From the batters and the fast bowlers to even the spinners a bit later in the contest. Summer has finally arrived in Adelaide and the days are getting warmer with Thursday (Day 2) expected to be a scorcher with temperatures expected to touch 40 degrees. Stokes joked about not doing a Nasser Hussain by electing to field first, and that might be a wise decision too on this old-school Adelaide Oval pitch. The 10 am start is quite early by Australian standards and might add some intrigue to the first session on each day. The stands are expected to be packed for at least the first three days and the SACA members will be lining up by 5.30 am come Wednesday morning.

Team News

Australia

While Cummins and Lyon were all set to come into the team there was some doubt about what combination Australia would go in with. There was some talk around Scott Boland being rested but the selectors have decided to go in with their best attack for this crucial third Test which means the hero of the Gabba, Michael Neser, misses out alongside Brendan Doggett. Usman Khawaja did say he was ready to come back into the mix but he'll have to wait his turn with Josh Inglis keeping his place at No 7.

Playing XI:Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

England

There was some surprise among the Aussie top-order around the selection of Josh Tongue in place of Gus Atkinson instead of Brydon Carse, with the Surrey man expected to have had a better skillset for the Adelaide Oval pitch. But England have decided to go in with their best wicket-taking options in Tongue and Carse to partner Jofra Archer, throwing all their eggs into one basket, even if it means they run the risk of having less control over Australia's run-scoring. They have also decided to show trust in their top 7, despite a number of them not having delivered on their much-vaunted promise so far.

Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Jofra Archer