As the visitors England have already lost the Ashes 2025-26, where the hosts Australia are leading the five-match series by 3-0 with two to go, England made two changes in the playing XI for the upcoming fourth Test, the Boxing Day Test  at Melbourne. 

England have completely failed in the Ashes 2025-26, while they had the expectation to produce one of their best performances on Australian soil. After losing the first two Tests by eight wickets each, they suffered an 82-run defeat in their last Test. Although they had some momentum on this tour, their indisciplined performances affected them hugely. 

It is time for some redemption despite already losing the series. While a 4-0 or 5-0 series status will make them really poor, England are desperate to find a better status by producing some quality performances in the last two Tests on the tour. 

The Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne is ready for the 2025 Boxing Day Test. While the match will begin on December 26, Boxing Day, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced the squad for the upcoming Melbourne Test on December 24.

England's change for Melbourne Test: Gus Atkinson replaced injured Jofra Archer

There are two changes for England for the upcoming Boxing Day Test, including one forced change. While Jofra Archer has been ruled out from remainder of the tour due to a left side strain, Gus Atkinson is set to replace Archer. Atkinson was dropped from the third Test at Adelaide due to mostly ineffective performances in the first two Tests of this tour. While he remained wicketless in the series opener at Perth, he got three wickets in the day/night pink-ball Test at Brisbane. 

See Also: ECB to investigate England team’s Noosa break ahead of 4th Ashes 2025/26 Test

England's change for Melbourne Test: Jacob Bethell replaced out of form Ollie Pope

Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Jacob Bethell is set to replace the no.3 batter Ollie Pope. In this tour, Pope's scores were 46, 33, 0, 26, 3, and 17 runs, respectively. 

The batting all-rounder Jacob Bethell has played four Tests, where he has scored 271 runs with an average of 38.71, including three half-centuries, and also picked up three wickets. During India's tour of England in 2025, Bethell featured in the last Test, which was his only Test this year before the forthcoming Boxing Day Test. 

England's playing XI for the Boxing Day Test in the Ashes 2025-26

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (Captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue. 

Heading into the second day-night Test of the Ashes 2025/26 at the Gabba in Brisbane, the talks were again on the England batting line-up and how they would tackle the left-arm pacer, Mitchell Starc, especially with the pink-ball, who had 81 wickets in just 27 innings in the day-night Tests and picked up three wickets in his opening over last time he turned up in this tradition. 

Mitchell Starc was smashed for a lovely boundary to settle the nerves for the visitors by Zak Crawley, who leaned forward to play the cover drive with no real feet movement and caressed it through the extra cover region for a sweet boundary. But Starc had the last laugh on the last ball of the over.

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For the third time in as many innings, Starc made the breakthrough in the very first over. It was a full delivery that curled away late outside of, and the southpaw went for a small drive to get the outside edge into the hands of the slip region to give the hosts a perfect start.

Watch: Mitchell Starc sends back Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope in 2nd D/N Ashes 2025/26 Test

On the third ball of his second over, Starc pocketed the wicket of Ollie Pope. The right-handed batter looked to stand on the top of the bounce of the short delivery and shuffled across to flay it through the off-side with an angled blade and ended up hitting the stumps to go back to the hut for a three-ball duck.

Another first over wicket for Mitchell Starc, it's the routine for this bloke to take wickets in First Over, Duckett departs for a DUCK. pic.twitter.com/YuGPdM6311

— U' (@toxifyxe) December 4, 2025

Since the 2021/22 season in Australia, England have struggled in their top-order batting. Their highest opening partnership remained 22, which came in the second day-night Adelaide Test in the last time around. In this series, they have got 2, 0, and 5 on the board.

Look How Mitchell Starc owning Ollie Pope pic.twitter.com/5aZ8QfGODJ

— 𝘚𝘏𝘌𝘙𝘈 𝟿𝟿𝟿 (@RarshitHana) December 4, 2025

However, since those two wickets, England batters have looked to be more aggressive, creaming three boundaries in the next couple of overs of the innings. England reached 24/2 at the end of the fifth over.

Cameron Green came and took well-set batter Ollie Pope's wicket on Day 1 of the first match of The Ashes 2025-26 in front of his home crowd.

On the last ball of Green's first over of the day, Pope was gone for an LBW. The England batter took a review, but the ultimate decision went in for the home team, Australia, at Perth. Before the sixth delivery of the 20th over of the innings, Pope and Harry Brook were rotating strike with ease. They had already accumulated 10 runs from the over before the fall of the vital wicket.

Along with the pace bowling all-rounder Cameron Green, credit also goes to Australia's stand-in skipper Steve Smith, who combined their bowlers well. Mitchell Starc emerged as the main weapon for the Aussies, as he single-handedly cleared up the top batting order of England.

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Cameron Green takes the wicket of Ollie Pope

Cameron Green gets settled batter Ollie Pope 🦗😮🏏

📺Watch #Ashes on ch. 501 or stream via @kayosports: https://t.co/sOOmnqnKOT
✍️BLOG https://t.co/RJmE4Oidt9
🔢MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/l21qM0wVxc pic.twitter.com/BChaW9JIRZ

— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) November 21, 2025

After the dismissals of Zak Crawley (0), Ben Duckett (21), and Joe Root (0), the touring team started to gain some momentum through the partnership of Pope and Brook. Together they stitched a partnership of 55 out of 67. Pope went back to the hut after making a confident 46 off 58 with 4 boundaries. 

Green noticed the right-handed batter was about to move across the crease and delivered a full and straight delivery, angling into the leg stump line. The England batter by then had already shuffled down the ground to play a flick. The delivery with a 134.2 km/h breeze passed the bat and hit the front pad directly. The umpire had no doubt to declare it out, an LBW. Ollie Pope took a review, but the decision remained unchanged. England lost their 4th batter for 94 on the scoreboard. 

The 22nd match of The Hundred 2025 saw London Spirit take on Northern Superchargers at Lord’s, London. Superchargers’ captain Harry Brook won the toss and chose to bowl first, keeping up with the trend of the tournament.

London Spirit made one change, bringing in Jamie Overton for Olly Stone. The Superchargers went with the same team. Jamie Smith gave Spirit a quick start, scoring 41 runs from 27 balls with four fours and a six. David Warner, however, fell early for a duck. Ollie Pope played the anchor role with a steady 52 not out from 38 balls, while Ashton Turner added 28 from 22. Their efforts took London Spirit to 135/3 in the 100 balls.

The Superchargers made a strong start with a 63-run opening stand. Dawid Malan scored 22 before falling, but Dan Lawrence kept the chase on track with a lively 37 off 22 balls. Zak Crawley once again stood tall, finishing unbeaten on 55 from 38 balls with five fours and two sixes. With 18 balls left, the Superchargers wrapped up the chase by eight wickets and climbed to third spot on the table.

ALSO READ: OTD: Down 2-0 in the series, Virat Kohli-led India bounced back strongly at The Oval against England

The pressure was incredible on both England and India coming into the fourth and potentially the final day of the five-match Test series at the Kennington Oval. Ollie Pope was under the radar, having started well with a century in the opening game at Leeds, but he has lost his charm since that period. In this game, he was the leader of the side in place of the injured Ben Stokes.

Even though Zak Crawley was dismissed on the last ball of the third day, he did his job well by keeping his England captain in the shade. Pope walked into the middle with a lot of intent on the fourth day. He looked to nail the big shots, besides showing his desire to keep the scorecard ticking with singles and doubles.

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Just after the drinks break at the end of the opening hour, where the Three Lions lost Ben Duckett after his half-century, Pope decided to show his aggression with the bat. He nailed the second ball from Prasidh Krishan over mid-on for a boundary.

Watch: Mohammed Siraj dismisses Ollie Pope during ENG vs IND 5th Test at Kennington Oval

The fourth ball was flicked past the mid-wicket field as the right-handed batter showed his incredible skills of using his wrists for the boundary. On the last ball of the over, the Surrey batter pulled the short ball past mid-wicket for the third boundary of the over to get the momentum in their favor.

𝗧 𝗥 𝗔 𝗣 𝗣 𝗘 𝗗! 🔴

A déjà vu dismissal! @mdsirajofficial once again pins #OlliePope in front just like the first innings! 👏🏻#ENGvIND 👉 5th TEST, DAY 4 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar 👉 https://t.co/FCqOnPjSft pic.twitter.com/n6RgjaNljA

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 3, 2025

But Mohammed Siraj had the last laugh on the third ball of the next over. With a nip-backer, just a replica of the first innings. The Hyderabad-born hit the batter on the pads, as the ball, with the wobbly seam, made sharp movement to find the batter before the stumps. Pope took the review, but his facial expression had nearly given away the outcome of the ball.

The replays showed three reds, as the batter went back to the dressing room for 27 runs in 34 balls with the help of five boundaries. His record in the fourth innings continues to go down the hill as England lost their third, effectively fourth, wicket of the innings, given that Chris Woakes won’t come to bowl.

The former England captain, Michael Vaughan, has called for a change of captaincy during the times when Ben Stokes, the regular leader, would be out of the team, whether due to a break or injury management. He thought that Ollie Pope, despite being the best vice-captain of the side, doesn’t guarantee to be a great leader of the team.

Ben Stokes had to sit out of the fifth and final Test of the series against India at Kennington Oval with a shoulder injury that he picked up during the fourth fixture at Old Trafford in Manchester. There is a countdown for him to get fully prepared for the upcoming opening Ashes 2025/26 Test at Optus Stadium in Perth.

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‘The England side with Ben Stokes as a captain, I think they can beat anybody. The England side without Ben Stokes, I think they can lose to anybody. I think he is that big a player. What they have got to be careful of, and I have said that before, is that sometimes, and I have a look at Ollie Pope, who looks a fantastic vice-captain. He is a brilliant person to have next to the captain and come up with ideas.’ Michael Vaughan expressed this during the BBC Test Match Special show.

Watch: Michael Vaughan wants Harry Brook to lead England in Ben Stokes’ absence

‘Sometimes, vice-captains are not brilliant captains. You know, Marcus Trescothick was a magnificent vice-captain for me, but you wouldn’t want to give him the captaincy. And I just think whether it’s worth England thinking, Harry to me looks like a leader. He looks like a born leader. We have seen him in white-ball cricket.’ The Yorkshire batter observed.

Should Ollie Pope stay as England vice-captain when Ben Stokes is out injured?@MichaelVaughan believes Harry Brook has what it takes to step up as captain in the event of another absence 🫡 #BBCCricket #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/nvVMLwHs07

— Test Match Special (@bbctms) August 2, 2025

He also pointed out that the side wasn’t in a bad state due to Pope’s leadership, but because of the catches they dropped throughout the innings, it gave India a chance to pile up the runs and put pressure on them.

‘And if Ben Stokes is injured in the future, can’t Ollie just stay as the vice-captain and Harry Brook get the leadership role? Look, it’s not Ollie Pope’s fault that England are in this position. It’s certainly not his. It’s the catching that lets them down. But I just want the best captain who is the best leader leading the side.’ Vaughan concluded.

DRS overturned the decision taken by the on-field umpire. Mohammed Siraj got the wicket of Ollie Pope, the skipper of England, for the final encounter of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar trophy. 

On the safe surface of The Oval, where India suffered a batting collapse, England has started their innings with their well-known style of batting—aggression from the beginning. Zak Crawley scored 64, Ben Duckett got 43, and England was 92 for 1 when their captain walked into the crease. The combination of Crawley and Pope was crucial for them. The opener was applying the Bazball method, and Pope, with his methodical batting, could baffle the India bowling line-up. 

Akash Deep did not allow the partnership to prolong; he cleared the path for Crawley's return to the pavilion, and then Siraj registered his name on the scorecard. 

Read More: [Watch] WCL 2025: AB de Villiers' otherworldly catch sends back Chris Lynn

Pope was in surprise 

On the 5th delivery of the 25th over, Siraj bowled a quicker ball angled towards Ollie Pope. The red Duke ball hits the green deck and slides from the official outside of the off-stump area to the leg stump. The right-handed batter had very little time to react. Perhaps he did not expect the ball to move so much. Siraj found the back leg of the batter. Pope lost his balance right in front of the wicket, and India applied heavily for an LBW, but the umpire ruled out their application. 

#OlliePope goes back to the pavilion as #MohammedSiraj traps him with a brilliant in-swinger 🤩#ENGvIND 👉 5th TEST, DAY 2 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar 👉 https://t.co/TY23MOyDXC pic.twitter.com/d8TbtD3gcP

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 1, 2025

Team India did not hesitate to take the help of the Decision Review System, and they were proved right. An on-field decision was overturned after a review. Ollie Pope departed for 22 off 44; India got their 3rd wicket of Day 2 of the England vs India 5th Test.

Days changed, venues changed, atmosphere changed, playing conditions and line-up kept varying along with the score-line of the five-match Test series between England and India. But the visiting captain Shubman Gill’s fortune with the toss was stuck at one place, as he lost his fifth and all tosses of the series at the Kennington Oval in South London.

That was the 15th instance of India losing the toss across the three formats in international cricket. The only other instance of a captain losing all the tosses in a Test series during the 21st century was when Virat Kohli led them during the 2018 trip in England. Ravi Shastri, the toss presenter for the fifth game, made a hilarious comment on the incident.

See Also: Chris Woakes ruled out of ENG vs IND 5th Test? England camp shows concern at Oval

‘Just a thought on the toss again, you know, I had a line ready. Whoever wins or loses, whoever wins the toss, I had a line ready that the Law of Averages has to catch up. Shubman Gill, in four Test matches, had lost all four. Ollie Pope, in four Test matches, had lost all four but won three Test matches. That’s where Gill came from and said, We hope to win the Test match even if I lose the toss.’ He revealed.

Watch: Ravi Shastri comments on Shubman Gill losing five tosses during ENG vs IND 2025 series

‘Don't mind losing the toss as long as we win the game. I was a bit confused yesterday about what to do. It was a bit overcast, but the wicket looks good. We'll look to post good runs in the first innings. Should be a good pitch for the bowlers.’ Gill, India’s captain, expressed at the toss during the fixture.

"Law of averages has to catch up" 🤣

Ravi Shastri on Shubman Gill losing yet another toss 🪙 pic.twitter.com/2UFeUzlMm2

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) July 31, 2025

He didn’t enjoy a great day either in the field after getting run out. He looked in fluent touch before getting another share of the unfortunate luck. The right-handed batter tapped Gus Atkinson under his eyes and rushed for the single, only to get slipped in the middle and saw the bowler breaking the stumps to send him back for the first time with a score of more than 20 and less than 100 in the series.

India ended with 204/6 as Karun Nair celebrated his unbeaten fine-half-century as they aim to cross the 275-run mark in the first innings.

India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal fell cheaply on Day 1 of the fifth Test against England at The Oval, managing just two runs from nine balls. His dismissal came in the fourth over, as England pacer Gus Atkinson bowled a delivery with a wobbly seam from around the wicket. The ball angled back into the left-hander, who attempted to push forward defensively but missed by a considerable margin. The delivery struck both pads, prompting a loud appeal from the English fielders, which was initially turned down by the on-field umpire.

England skipper Ollie Pope opted for a review after the appeal was rejected, taking the decision upstairs to TV umpire Rod Tucker. The replays confirmed that the ball had not made contact with Jaiswal’s bat and was crashing into the stumps. All three indicators lit up red on ball-tracking, prompting Tucker to advise on-field umpire Ahsan Raza to overturn the original decision. Jaiswal was given out LBW, giving England an early breakthrough.

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The dismissal adds to a mixed run for Jaiswal in this series, where he has shown moments of brilliance but lacked consistency. His scores in the nine innings so far read: 101, 4, 87, 28, 13, 0, 58, 0, and 5. With two ducks and several low scores, his performance has fluctuated despite a solid start. The team would’ve hoped for a stronger contribution from him in this decisive match. You can catch the video of this dismissal to see how Atkinson’s clever bowling did the trick early on in the innings.

Watch the video here;

Ollie Pope 🤝 DRS

🇮🇳 1️⃣0️⃣-1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/VyX4061MvH

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2025

Ollie Pope took right call to go for DRS

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal is being largely credited to England’s stand-in captain Ollie Pope, who made a bold and accurate DRS call despite a poor track record. Before this review, Pope had made 13 unsuccessful referrals as captain, according to OneCricket. Interestingly, even Gus Atkinson, the bowler, wasn’t entirely confident about the appeal, but Pope trusted his instincts and opted for the review. The decision paid off, earning England a crucial early wicket. Pope is leading the side in this Test due to Ben Stokes’ absence, who is out with a shoulder injury.

At the time of Jaiswal’s dismissal, India had reached 33 for 1 within the first ten overs of Day 1. Following the early breakthrough, debutant Sai Sudharsan walked in at number three, aiming to stabilize the innings. He joined KL Rahul at the crease, who was coming off a fluent 90 in the second innings of the fourth Test in Manchester. The new pair had the responsibility to rebuild after the early loss and keep England’s bowlers from gaining further momentum in favorable conditions.

Shubman Gill, captain of Team India, again lost the toss. For the 5th test of the series, in the absence of Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope is the captain of team England. He won the toss and, as was expected before, chose to bowl first. The pitch is green at The Oval, and conditions are mostly favorable for the bowlers. 

Former cricketer, now a cricket expert and commentator, Deep Dasgupta informed that the 22-yard has got 8 mm of grass and the topsoil is not dry due to the rainy conditions. He also opined that these are the most bowling-friendly conditions in the entire series. 

After the 4 matches of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy, England is leading the competition by 2-1. It is a must-win game for Team India to make it 2-2. But the conditions and atmosphere are not looking in their favor. There was rain before the toss, clouds were above the field, and the pitch is grass. With the new ball, England will try to do as much damage as possible in a quick manner. 

Read More: Gill was solid, Jaiswal on song- Net bowler reports about team India's preparation for ENG vs IND 5th Test

"We are not content with a 2-2 scoreline, and we want to go out and win it," Ollie Pope said after winning the toss. 

ENG vs IND 5th Test Playing XIs: 

India (Playing XI)—Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Karun Nair (in for Shardul Thakur), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK) (in for Rishabh Pant), Washington Sundar, Akash Deep (in for Jasprit Bumrah), Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna (in for Anshul Kamboj).

England (Playing XI)—Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell (in for Ben Stokes), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson (in for Jofra Archer), Jamie Overton (in for Liam Dawson), and Josh Tongue (in for Brydon Carse).