right to the pitch: melbourne

Shane Warne - focus of attention in Melbourne.

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Melbourne Cricket Ground venue guide

Last 10 Tests: Australia won seven, drawn one, lost two

Last 10 tosses: Six batted first (won two, drew one, lost three); Four fielded first (won one, lost three)

Groundsman's View: ""The thing that controls the pace of wickets is basically grass coverage and our grass coverage is pretty good here. The Boxing Day strip looks good and we're pretty confident, looking forward to the Test." Tony Ware

Last time out: Australia beat South Africa by 184 runs in last year's Boxing Day Test. The Aussies were in a spot of bother at 248 for nine early on day two, but an astonishing last-wicket partnership of 107 between centurion Mike Hussey and Glenn McGrath got Australia up past 350 and would ultimately prove crucial. South Africa replied with 311, thanks mainly to half-centuries from AB de Villiers and Herschelle Gibbs, while the wickets were shared around, Brett Lee and Andrew Symonds each bagging three victims.

As is so often the case, Australia moved decisively clear in the third innings of the match, racing to a declaration on 321 for seven thanks to Matthew Hayden's century and a blistering 54-ball 72 from Symonds, who hammered five fours and six sixes.

Unlike in the first Test of the series, where South Africa held on for a draw in Perth, the Proteas put up little resistance and were hurried out for just 181 soon after lunch on the final day, Shane Warne and Symonds the main destroyers.

England's last visit: Australia won by five wickets to take a 4-0 lead in the 2002/3 series. For two-and-a-half days this was one of the most one-sided Ashes clashes ever, as Justin Langer's 250 and Hayden's ton set Australia on their way to a total of 551 for six declared. In reply, on a great batting track, England subsided to 270 all out, and only got that far thanks to Craig White's unbeaten 85 at number eight. Jason Gillespie picked up four for 25.

But, following on, the tourists did make a better fist of things with yet another Michael Vaughan century taking them past Australia's total and setting the Baggy Greens 107 for victory.

Australia's trouble pursuing small targets almost came to the fore once more in a final innings that combined outrageous strokeplay, sterling efforts from England's only two fit bowlers Andy Caddick and Steve Harmison, and a few umpiring controversies. But the Aussies eventually got home with five wickets to spare and kept their hopes of a whitewash alive.

Weather Forecast: Not too clever if the long-range forecasts are to be believed. Christmas Day looks like being a wet one in Melbourne, and that could linger on into Boxing Day. Once the rain clears it will be pretty cool and cloudy for the first three days of the Test, with temperatures no higher than around 67F (19C). Things should improve on days four and five, but even then we're only looking at temperatures in the mid-70s Fahrenheit, low-20s Celsius.

Conclusion: Australia have won their last seven matches in Melbourne, and will expect to make that eight when they meet a demoralised England on Boxing Day.

Most troublingly for England, those seven victories have been incredibly comfortable. That five-wicket win over the Three Lions in 2002 was easily the closest result of the seven, and that match was never really a contest from the moment Hayden and Langer scored almost 200 for the first wicket. For the record, Australia's victory margins in that seven-match run are: 180 runs, 352 runs, nine wickets, five wickets, nine wickets, nine wickets, and 184 runs.

Historically, Melbourne is a pitch that plays true for all five days, with the runs per wicket unusually consistent across all four innings (31.5, 31.0, 28.0, 26.2). In recent years there has been slightly more difference, but it still remains a ground where runs in the second innings are far from impossible.

Most of the Australian bowlers have records at Melbourne that are pretty comparable to their career stats, while in the batting department only Ponting (75.25) and Hayden (68.00) average significantly higher than their overall mark.

If England are looking for positives, then Adam Gilchrist averages only 34.37 at the MCG, while Mike Hussey's Melbourne average is a paltry 76.50, way down on his overall career!

While all the focus is on the soon-to-retire Warne needing just one wicket to reach 700 Test victims, that wicket will also be his 50th on his home patch in Melbourne.