Ashes 3rd Test: England make four changes in playing XI, check final team here

Veteran pace bowler Stuart Broad has been axed following an unimpressive display in the second Test at Adelaide Oval, to pave the way for spinner Jack Leach to return to the side after the mauling he got in the opening Test at The Gabba.  

The struggling England team made four changes for the Boxing Day Test from the side that lost the second Ashes Test by 275 runs, bringing in Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow as the tourists try to stage a comeback at the MCG after being 0-2 down.

In an indication that the team management is desperate to turn things around, Crawley and Bairstow will be making their first appearances in the series, with the two batters hardly having any match practice in the last six weeks.

While Crawley replaces opener Rory Burns, who has endured a woeful season so far, and will bat alongside Haseeb Hameed, Bairstow is likely to bat at No.6 in place of Ollie Pope, who has been unable to handle Nathan Lyon's spin.