Australia vs England 2021/22: Where is fourth Ashes Test being played, record, and weather conditions

The penultimate Test match in the 2021/22 Ashes series between Australia and England is set to start this evening (Tuesday 4/01) at 11.30pm GMT in Sydney, Australia.

Australia have already won the series having convincingly beaten England in the last three Test matches and will hope to secure a 5-0 whitewash over their opponents as they take on Joe Root’s men in the fourth match later on today.

It had not been wholly unexpected that England would suffer during this series but there were very few who thought the expedition would be as disastrous as it has turned out to be.

The first Test match took place in Brisbane which is not a venue that has tended to favour England over the years, but hope had briefly been restored ahead of the pink ball Test in Adelaide.

England fans had been hopeful that the pink ball and day/night test would favour the swing skill of their bowlers, but this was sadly not to be the case.

Australia declared on 473 in their first innings and 230 in their second securing a win of 275 runs in Adelaide.

With one more day/night and pink ball test to be played in Sydney, England will hope to give all they can to leave the series with at least one redeeming passage of play that doesn’t confirm the 2021/22 Ashes tour as one of the most disastrous in English cricketing history.

Here is all you need to know about the Sydney Cricket Ground.

When is the fourth Test match?

The Fourth Test will take place between Tuesday 4 January and Sunday 9 January 2022. Play will begin at 11.30pm GMT and will be the second of the two day/night tests to occur during the 2021/22 Ashes series.

What is the history of the SCG?

The ground was established in 1848 and is primarily used for Test, ODIs and T20 cricket as well as Australia rules football, rugby league, rugby union and association football.

It has a capacity of 48,000 and is home to the New South Wales Cricket team and the Sydney Sixers Big Bash League teams.

When was the first time England played at the SCG?

The first time England and Australia met at the Sydney Cricket Ground was the first recorded Ashes Test match back in 1882.

England famously won this Test match and were awarded the burnt bails in a small Urn as a representation of the ‘Ashes’ of English cricket.

What is England’s record at the SCG?

The SCG is England’s most successful ground in Australia. The two sides have faced each other 56 times since 1882.

Australia have won 27 times with England winning 22 and the pair drawing seven times.

The last time England won in Sydney was drawing their triumphant tour in 2010/11. England beat Australia by an innings and 83 runs. This was also the last time England have actually won in Australia. Out of the subsequent 13 matches, Australia have won 12 times.

Australia’s most successful defeat against England at the SCG was during the 2017/18 Ashes tour where England lost by an innings and 123 runs.

England hold numerous records at the SCG, including having the top five non-Australian highest wicket takers at the ground.

George Lohmann, who played between 1887 and 1892, has the most number of wickets for a non-Aussie with 35 wickets in eight innings to his name. Lohmann also holds the top two records for the best innings figures with 8/35 in 1887 and 8/58 in 1892.

An Englishman also holds the record for the most career runs for a non-Australian at the ground: Wally Hammond scored 808 runs in his seven innings between 1928 and 1946.

What are the current England players’ records at the SCG?

Many of the current England team will not have played at the ground before, such as Haseeb Hameed and Zak Crawley, and the younger generation will rely on the knowledge of the veterans of the team to help guide them through.

James Anderson, the longest serving cricketer on the tour, has a bowling average of 29.00. He has taken 14 wickets at the ground and his best figures are 4/66.

Fellow fast bowler Stuart Broad has slightly less favourable figures at the ground with an average of 48.60 and just five wickets to his name.

England skipper Joe Root has played one test at the ground and scored 141 which he will hope to replicate in the upcoming match.

Similarly, vice-captain Ben Stokes has played just one match at the SCG as well and scored 79 runs.

Once more, it seems that the English team will rely on their two key players to try and create some magic at the wicket.

What is the weather going to be at the SCG?

The next few days do not offer much promise as the weather is likely to be thundery with heavy showers and a fresh breeze.

Temperatures will be between 25 ℃ and 28 ℃ over the next few days.

Australia vs England, the fourth Test match will be available to watch on BT Sport and coverage will begin at 10.30pm GMT this evening, Tuesday 4 January 2022.

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