England wins the toss and sends Australia in to bat in the 4th Ashes test

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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and sent Australia in to bat in overcast conditions in Friday’s fourth Ashes test at the sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Australia recalled Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser as part of an all-pace attack for the match.

A top temperature of 18 degrees Celsius (65 Fahrenheit) was forecast with the cloudy conditions expected to suit pace bowlers on a green-tinged pitch.

“Nice coverage of grass,” Stokes said at the toss. “Now it’s about executing the plans.”

England lost each of the first three tests to allow Australia to retain the Ashes in just 11 days of on-field action.

England named its team on Wednesday with the big news the loss of star bowler Jofra Archer for the rest of the series, including the fifth and final test starting Jan. 4 in Sydney.

Jacob Bethell, 22, who has played four tests for England, replaces dumped Ollie Pope and Gus Atkinson takes the place of Archer.

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Lineups:

Australia: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (captain), Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Scott Boland.

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket