Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has suggested next week’s New Year Test in Sydney feels a diminished occasion, stating: “The Ashes were done at 3-0”.
The Baggy Greens wrapped up a series win inside 11 days after wins in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide but saw their hopes of a 5-0 whitewash disappear when the tourists finally hit back in a two-day finish in Melbourne.
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The teams reconvene for the final time at the SCG on Sunday with the hosts seeking an emphatic 4-1 win, while their opponents look to limit the damage by making it 3-2.
Australia’s Pat Cummins (left) celebrates Australia’s Ashes win with Usman Khawaja (centre) and Travis Head (right) (Robbie Stephenson/PA)
But McDonald feels there was less at stake as soon as his side laid claim to the urn, pointing to World Test Championship (WTC) points as the main goal rather than any bragging rights over the old enemy.
“The Ashes is secure, that’s done. The Ashes are done,” he said at a net session laid on for his side’s batters following their loss at the MCG.
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“There is a Test match against England that contributes to the World Test Championship and that’s what we’re hungry for, to bank more points around that.
“The scoreline will just mean either more WTC points or less; I know that sounds simplistic and it’s probably not what people want to hear. It’s England and Australia, it’s an Ashes Test, but the Ashes were done at 3-0.”
Speculation continues to mount that the fifth Test will act as a farewell for veteran batter Usman Khawaja, who turned 39 earlier this month.
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Usman Khawaja could be coming to the end of his Australia career (Robbie Stephenson/PA)
He was dropped from the side mid-series, only to earn a late reprieve when Steve Smith withdrew on the morning of the third Test, and has since shuffled down from opener into the middle order.
With Australia not playing red-ball cricket again until they face Bangladesh in August, Khawaja is likely to be saying goodbye at his home ground.
McDonald expects the New South Wales faithful to act that way even if no formal announcement comes before the start of the game.
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“If we use Davey Warner as a test case, I think he got clapped off at the SCG three years in a row because everyone thought it was going to be his last Test match,” he joked.
“I’m pretty sure if he makes no statement on his future before the Test, the crowd will still be very supportive of him and clap and cheer him.
“There’s no indication at my end that he’s calling it in Sydney. We’ve got eight months until the next one so we’ve got a lot of time as a selection group to make that decision…we’ve got a lot of time to think about that should Us push forward.”
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