Fit Punter ready for key tie

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Melbourne, Dec. 25: England, despite a heavy defeat in the third Test, still have the upper hand going into the final two Tests of an enthralling Ashes series, needing only one more victory to retain the coveted urn against Australia.

Australia go into Sunday’s fourth Melbourne Test fuelled by the momentum from their emphatic 267-run victory in Perth, which levelled the series at 1-1. But they cannot afford a slip-up in the last two matches.

“We always talk about the last two Tests in a series being where things are won and lost,” England skipper Andrew Strauss said.

“I can’t think of anything better than to come over to Australia and win the Boxing Day Test. That would be a very good feather in all our caps,” said Strauss.

“The first few games set it up and the last couple bring it home. That is the challenge for us.” Alastair Cook has scored 495 in five innings, Strauss and Jonathan Trott hit centuries in Brisbane, and Kevin Pietersen scored a majestic 227 in Adelaide before they all stumbled in Perth. Strauss gave a strong hint that the in-form Ian Bell would remain at number six despite Paul Collingwood’s low-scoring series.

Bell has hit three half-centuries in his four innings this series, while Collingwood has two single-figure scores from four knocks. Australia looked a different team in Perth with pacemen Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris taking 18 wickets between them as England slumped to sub-200 scores in both innings.

A dilemma for Australia will be whether to retain the four-man pace attack that was so effective on the lively WACA wicket, or call up untried spinner Michael Beer on the drop-in MCG pitch. Australia have never gone into an MCG Test without a frontline spinner during their 102 Tests going back to the very first match in 1877. “We’ve got to take all these things into consideration when we pick the team, but we also have to pick what we think is the best balanced attack for the conditions and the opposition we’re playing against,” Ricky Ponting said and declared himself fit for the Test.

Pic Caption:
Australian captain Ricky Ponting (left) wrestles with Usman Khawaja during training in Melbourne on Saturday, eve of the third Ashes Test against England. The series is tied 1-1.