Haseeb Hameed and Zak Crawley are at the crease. Haseeb Hameed is on strike. Starc will open the attack

Right then, the players have made their way out to the middle. Australia are bowling first, so they'll look to make the most of the first hour. The England openers - Haseeb Hameed and Zak Crawley look rather relaxed as they stride towards the pitch that looks reasonably green. Mitchell Starc to start with the new ball. Three slips and a gully in place. The Boxing Day Test is on its way..

Joe Root: We would have probably done the same to be perfectly honest. We have spoken to some local guys who have played a lot of Shield cricket on a similar wicket and it looks to be a reasonable place to bat on if you apply yourself well. The first hour is crucial always, so we need to start well. I expect a reaction this week. We are a better side than we have played so far and it's a great opportunity to show what we are capable of, it's the best stage to do it. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity of this Boxing Day Test.

Pat Cummins: We are going to bowl first. It was tough sitting on the couch at home, but I thought Smith led the boys really well and they played some good cricket. It feels like a bowling day as there's some good grass coverage. It doesn't necessarily mean we will bowl them out this morning. He (Scott Boland) has been a seasoned performer for Victoria at the MCG, plays really well. We had earmarked him for a while, and a few injuries made the decision easier. We are happy to have him.

Teams:

England (Playing XI): Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root(c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler(w), Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, James Anderson

Australia (Playing XI): Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon

Australia have won the toss and have opted to field

Toss at 10:30 am local time, play to start at 11:00 am local.. We are about 10 minutes away from the toss..

10:06 local time: Some good news folks! It has stopped raining and the covers are coming off. The weather forecast for the rest of the day looks good, so we should have some action soon. Shouldn't be a long delay..

10:00 am local time: The drizzle has gotten heavier and the toss has been delayed. Looks pretty cloudy at the moment, but let's keep our fingers crossed, hope that the rain subsides soon and we get the Boxing Day Test underway soon..

09:40 am local time: Australia won the Ashes in 2017-18 by a 4-0 margin, they were far more convincing in 2013-14, having thumped their most oldest rivals 5-0, and they've got to a perfect start this time around as well. For now, the scoreline stands 2-0. So do we have another clinical performance by the Aussies on the cards? Or do we have a fightback from England awaiting us? We shall get to know about that over the next five days or maybe even before that. Looks like it's drizzling at the moment, and the pitch has been covered. We shall have the toss as soon as the drizzle subsides. Stay tuned for all the updates.

The Australian top order batters, barring Marcus Harris, all have been among the runs. David Warner has played a couple of brilliant knocks, but has unfortunately missed out on two centuries. Steve Smith too missed out on a ton at the Adelaide Oval as he was trapped lbw by James Anderson. The leading run scorer of the series has been Marnus Labuschagne and owing to his impressive performance, Australia's number 3 has also moved to the number 1 rank in ICC Test rankings. England have plenty of areas to work on, and having made as many as four changes compared to the previous Test, they're clearly struggling to find the right combination. Cummins who didn't feature in the last Test, returns to lead the team, while Scott Boland who has a fine record at the MCG, is all set to make his Test debut, he gets the Baggy Green from Josh Hazlewood.

Boxing Day Test | 09:30 am local: England last won the Ashes in 2015, and since then it has been Australia who have managed to keep that urn to themselves. Much like the previous editions of the Ashes played in Australia, even this one has been dominated by the Aussies. They beat England by 9 wickets at the Gabba, while registered a comprehensive 275-run victory at the Adelaide Oval. The action now moves to Melbourne, with England in desperate search of a win. If Australia manage to win the Boxing Day Test, they'll once again retain the Ashes. And looking at the way the hosts have played so far, England would need to play out of their skins in order to stay alive in the 5-match Test series.

Preview by Bharat Sundaresan

Exactly 12 months ago, Marnus Labuschagne was ranked the fourth-best batter in men's Test cricket. He was still the second-best Australian behind his mentor Steve Smith. And the best part of his Christmas morning at the MCG, facing throwdowns of course, was brought to an anxiety-ridden end when he feared he'd broken his bat.

A year on, Labuschagne returned to the MCG nets on Saturday (December 25) as the No.1 Test batter in the world, in peak form and absolutely on top of his game. The best part of his Christmas morning, facing throwdowns and the added bonus of Mitchell Swepson's leg-spin, ended in a much happier fashion as he produced the crispest on-drive you could imagine. Followed of course by him exclaiming, to nobody in particular, that the new retro-designed Kookaburra he was wielding was perhaps the best he'd ever held in his life.

Unlike last summer though, with Oliver McDonald (coach Andrew's son) preferring to face Marcus Harris in the adjoining net this time around, Labuschagne had to be content with spending the rest of the optional practice session bowling to Test captain, and No.1 bowler in the world, Pat Cummins. To his credit, he did seem to get the better of his fellow 'best in the world' superstar, with his (Anil) Kumblesque fastish leg-spin. And for good measure, he let Cummins know about it each time, when ball beat bat or when he got an outside-edge.

Two nets away, David Warner was busy entertaining his daughters, giving the oldest some throwdowns. He even had to ask her to stick to hitting with the net when she began smashing it, showing off the Warner genes, to all parts. Steve Smith was done with his own batting session by then, having faced Justin Langer and his wanger for half-hour.

There was a slightly less festive air to the England session where rather unprecedentedly every member of the playing XI, that became official halfway through, got a bat in. There was nothing optional about it. While Joe Root, Haseeb Hameed and Dawid Malan as always had the longest stints, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes were involved in a very competitive battle against each other before Stokes himself went about getting into striking form.

A lot could be made about the mindsets and the current state of collective confidence during the two and a half hours that Australia and England spent at the MCG on the eve of the Boxing Day Test. It was reflective of the series scoreline and why not many are giving England much of a chance to turn things around for themselves and get a foot into the contest. The Ashes may still be alive, briefly, but not for long.

When: Australia v England, 3rd Test, Boxing Day, December 26-30, 10.30 AM Local Time, 05:00 AM IST

Where: MCG, Melbourne

What to expect: As is the case these days, images of the Test pitch have been doing the rounds for the last few days leading into the match. But for once, the greenish tinge of the surface has stayed the course and is expected to be around when Root and Cummins walk out to toss. Matt Page has done a remarkable job at the MCG since taking over after the dud debacle of the 2017-18 version of this very contest. The Boxing Day Tests haven't gone into the fifth day over the last couple of years. India and R Ashwin in particular made the most of a slightly tackier and up and down pitch than we're used to in Melbourne last summer. But it'd still be a risk to win the toss and put the opposition in, despite Australia's relative struggles last year.

Team News

Australia

There was a special Christmas cheer around Victorian cricket circles with 32-year-old Scott Boland being handed an unexpected but very, very deserved Test debut. The tireless workhorse who's been the benchmark for the quality of the Sheffield Shield for nearly a decade is among the most popular teammates going around the country and will add a lot of experience to an already high-quality attack despite this being his maiden stint in the Baggy Green while Cummins returns.

Playing XI: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (vc), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

England

Heads were expected to roll after the two mighty losses for England and they certainly have with Chris Silverwood making a string of changes. Out go senior opener Rory Burns and big hope Ollie Pope while Mark Wood and Jack Leach return to the bowling attack that has lacked penetration. Jonny Bairstow and Zak Crawley have looked the best of the lot in the nets but it'll take quite something for them to transform that into impactful performances that England hope will make them look a lot more competitive as a team than they have so far.

B7$ Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Jack Leach, James Anderson

Squads:

Australia Squad: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Swepson

England Squad: Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root(c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler(w), Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, Dominic Bess, Ollie Pope, Rory Burns, Craig Overton, Daniel Lawrence