Wisden’s writers pick their England XIs for the Boxing Day Ashes Test

For the fifth time in seven away Ashes series, England are 2-0 down after the opening two Tests – each of those previous four instances ended in heavy defeat for the visitors.

They need a something close to a miracle to regain the urn. Here are the XIs four Wisden writers think would be best placed to kickstart what would be one of the most dramatic Ashes comebacks there have ever been.

Jo Harman, Wisden Cricket Monthly magazine editor

Rory Burns
Haseeb Hameed
Dawid Malan
Joe Root
Ben Stokes
Dan Lawrence
Jos Buttler
Chris Woakes
Mark Wood
Jack Leach
James Anderson

Where to start? Let’s go with the batting, which has been dire so far. Take out Root and Malan, and the rest of England’s top six are averaging a combined 13.89 after 16 knocks on two very decent batting tracks. Burns’ 34 at Adelaide and Hameed’s hint of promise at the Gabba have just about persuaded me to stick with them for now, but it’s time for the skittish Ollie Pope to take a breather. I expect England to hand Bairstow his latest recall (memories of his Ashes hundred four years ago clouding the fact that he’s passed 50 three times in 34 knocks since the start of 2019), but I’d live a little and go for Dan Lawrence. At this stage what do England have to lose? And Lawrence’s stellar Lions tour of Australia two years ago at least suggests he has the game for the conditions.

As for the bowling, England need to pick a spinner at the MCG and Jack Leach’s travails in Brisbane don’t change the fact that he’s the best they’ve got. Mark Wood clearly plays, as he should have done at Adelaide, and Chris Woakes retains his place because they can’t do without him at No.8. That leaves a toss-up between Robinson, Broad and Anderson for the final spot. All three make a strong case but I’d lean towards Anderson based on his impressive record at Melbourne (13 wickets at 24).

Ben Gardner, Wisden.com managing editor

Rory Burns
Haseeb Hameed
Dawid Malan
Joe Root
Ben Stokes
Dan Lawrence
Jos Buttler
Ollie Robinson
Mark Wood
Jack Leach
James Anderson

Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns both get another go. There have been just the faintest glimmers from both, if you really, really want to look for them, and Zak Crawley isn’t a hugely appealing replacement. Ollie Pope misses out, and it’s very close between Dan Lawrence and Jonny Bairstow for who comes in. I fancy Lawrence’s resourcefulness to help him work it out on the fly, with Bairstow’s experience and body of work in Australia both easy to overrate – his century at Perth in 2017 is his only 50-plus score in six Tests down under. But I think England will see it the other way, and it’s no huge travesty if they do.

The bowlers are where it gets really tough, because it can feel as if one of Chris Woakes or Dom Bess has to play so that England have a viable No.8, and the former is their third-highest run-scorer this series. But if England are to get a toehold in the series, it will be because their top seven figure out how not to be rubbish, rather than because of a 20-odd from the tail, and so I’ve picked what should be the most balanced, threatening attack available.

Yas Rana, Wisden head of content

Rory Burns
Zak Crawley
Dawid Malan
Joe Root
Ben Stokes
Dan Lawrence
Jos Buttler
Ollie Robinson
Mark Wood
Jack Leach
James Anderson

Hameed drops out. He averages 22 since his return to the side and I still have major reservations over his ability to score big runs. He has never – in an 85-game first-class career – scored more than 122 in an innings. He’s solid in defence and aesthetically pleasant to watch but I’m not sure he’s quite got the game to post big scores, in the way that Rory Burns and Zak Crawley have done in Test cricket, albeit not with serious regularity. To be honest, I’m not completely sold on Crawley either but after opening stands of nought, 23, seven and four, England can’t just sleepwalk into further calamity, a change is needed.

Pope has looked worlds away from the player that looked to have cracked Test cricket two winters ago. He drops out for Lawrence, who made a name for himself by scoring big hundreds on England Lions’ successful tour of Australia last winter. Bairstow – who averages 21.40 over the past three years and despite that Perth hundred in 2017, less than 30 in Australia – misses out, too.

Wood is a must-pick and Leach returns to right the wrongs of Brisbane. Woakes drops out after looking reasonably ineffective at Adelaide while Robinson and Anderson just pip Broad to the other two seamer slots.

Aadya Sharma, Wisden India editor

Rory Burns
Jonny Bairstow
Dawid Malan
Joe Root
Ben Stokes
Dan Lawrence
Jos Buttler
Dom Bess
Ollie Robinson
Mark Wood
Stuart Broad

I’d want the annoyingly-out-of-runs-yet-still-plucky Burns to stay, with *drumrolls* Bairstow partnering him. He’s never opened in Tests, but England are running out of options; Bairstow’s pretty flexible (and has played enough at No.3), and the thought of him facing the new ball isn’t totally outlandish in Australian conditions. The next three batters continue from Adelaide, with Lawrence slotting in for Pope. A reminder, Lawrence hit a fine century for the Lions at the MCG last year. At 24, he deserves more chances.

Coming to the bowlers, Bess comes in (you need a spinner, and Leach himself showed he isn’t the way to go). The seam attack needs some extra zing to lift their spirits, and who better than Wood for that?. Anderson can be rested before the final two games, with an off-colour Woakes, too, going out (England have enough batting anyway).