Aussies forced into Boxing Day change

Mitchell Starc's Boxing Day curse has continued after the paceman was ruled out of the fourth Magellan Ashes Test due to a heel injury.

Starc has thrice missed the showpiece Test of the summer having played the previous match and will make it fourth time unlucky by missing the MCG clash, which starts on Tuesday.

Hobbled by a bruised heel suffered in the series-clinching win in Perth, Starc will be replaced in the side by Tasmanian Jackson Bird, who will play his first Test in 12 months.

Starc said he was hopeful of returning to the Test XI for the series-ending SCG Test that starts on January 4.

Now in his sixth year of Test cricket, Starc has played only once on Boxing Day and he made it count, hitting a record-breaking 84 with the bat and taking a match-sealing four-wicket haul in a final-day win against Pakistan 12 months ago.

"It's never nice missing cricket, but it would have been pretty selfish of me to go into a game not 100 per cent, especially when Jacko is waiting and bowling really well," Starc said.

"It's nice that we've won the series and we can play it a little bit safer. I might get another Boxing Day one day.

"I still feel like I could have played on it ... but it would have put the other guys under pressure if I'd had to pull out midway through a game.

"I think common sense has prevailed. Jacko is bowling really well and I'm excited for him.

"It gives me a good chance now to have a bit of time off it over the next few days, get my rehab done and give me a really good chance for Sydney."

The left-armer missed the 2013 and 2015 Boxing Day Tests due to injury and was overlooked in 2011 (for Ben Hilfenhaus) and in 2014 (for Ryan Harris) despite having played the previous Test on each occasion.

But his absence from the 2012 Test, when he was controversially rested and only found out about his omission after the news had broken publicly, that was the most galling of all.

And his unwanted Christmas gift is no laughing matter.

"We were joking around, but it's still a bit off limits, those jokes about Boxing Day," Josh Hazlewood said on Sunday. "He's obviously been unlucky."

Bird played the most recent of his eight Tests in the corresponding match last year and has been a non-playing member of Australia's squad for all 10 Tests they've played so far in 2017.

But the clever scheduling of the JLT Sheffield Shield season has allowed him to return to domestic cricket once he was deemed surplus to requirements for the Brisbane and Adelaide Ashes Tests. And his form for Tasmania this season, where he's taken 25 wickets at 16 in four games, ensures he'll be in top form for his return to the top level.

"I felt like the ball came out really nicely in those couple of weeks that I was away," Bird said on Saturday.

"I haven't played a Test match since this game last year, so I've been ready to go for about 12 months now."

Meanwhile, having delayed his arrival in Melbourne for personal reasons, wicketkeeper Tim Paine joined his teammates at training on Sunday clearing the way for him to take his place in the side on Boxing Day.

Starc's Boxing Day curse

2011 v India Played preceding Test against NZ in Hobart, dropped for Ben Hilfenhaus

2012 v Sri Lanka Controversially rested following heavy workload in previous Test in Hobart

2013 v England Sidelined due to serious back injury

2014 v India Played preceding Test against India in Brisbane, dropped for Ryan Harris

2015 v West Indies Played first three Tests of the summer, missed series due to serious foot injury

2016 v Pakistan Played first Boxing Day Test, hit record-breaking 84 with the bat and took four wickets on final day

2017 v England Played preceding Test against England in Perth, missed due to bruised heel

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Australia won by 120 runs (Day-Night). Scorecard

Third Test Australia won by an innings and 41 runs. Scorecard

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Tickets

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21