Thu Dec 25 23:20:00 UTC 2025: ## Ashes Turmoil Continues for England as Australia Eyes Whitewash

Melbourne, Australia – With the Ashes already lost, England’s tour Down Under threatens to descend into further chaos as the Boxing Day Test looms. Off-field issues have plagued the team, with director of cricket Rob Key investigating claims of excessive drinking during a mid-series trip to Noosa. A video of Ben Duckett out late at night has added fuel to the fire.

Captain Ben Stokes, visibly emotional, vowed to protect his players and insisted the team still believes they can salvage something from the series. However, he stopped short of mirroring Zak Crawley’s optimism of a 3-2 scoreline.

Australia, led by Pat Cummins (who will miss the remainder of the series to rest his back), have declared “job done” after retaining the Ashes. However, their sights are now set on a coveted 5-0 whitewash and valuable World Test Championship points, emulating the feats of the 2006-07 and 2013-14 teams.

Australia has named their squad with Usman Khawaja keeping his spot. They will be without three of their “big four” as Nathan Lyon is out through injury.

England has backed Ben Duckett amid the controversy but Ollie Pope has paid the price for poor form, replaced by Jacob Bethell at No. 3. Jofra Archer has been ruled out, with Gus Atkinson returning to the pace attack.

Teams:

  • Australia (possible): 1 Jake Weatherald, 2 Travis Head, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Usman Khawaja, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Cameron Green, 8 Michael Neser, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Brendan Doggett/Jhye Richardson, 11 Scott Boland
  • England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Will Jacks, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Brydon Carse, 11 Josh Tongue

MCG curator Matt Page is aiming for a lively pitch with something for both batsmen and bowlers. Temperatures are expected to fluctuate throughout the Test, with a chance of showers on the first and last days.

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