Australia v England, fifth Ashes Test: match preview

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Get the broadcast info, latest team news, start times and more for the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney

Extra Cover: Exclusive access for chaotic MCG Test

Match facts

Who: Australia v England

What: Fifth NRMA Insurance Test, men's Ashes

When: January 4-8, first ball 10:30am AEDT (11:30pm previous day GMT)

Where: SCG, Sydney

Live scores: Match Centre

How to watch: Channel Seven, 7plus, Kayo Sports and Foxtel

Global TV guide: Where and how to watch the Ashes

How to listen: ABC Radio, Triple M and SEN Radio. New this summer, the CA Live app has teamed up with NRMA Insurance so you can listen to radio and commentary streams in real-time with no delay to live play using zero-latency technology. Cricket Radio (both standard and real-time) is available anywhere in Australia in the CA Live match centre, however, some audio streams, such as TV commentary, may be exclusive to fans attending a match. Find out more here.

Buy tickets: Tickets are still available for day four. Get them here

Officials: Chris Gaffaney and Ahsan Raza (field), Kumar Dharmasena (third), Sam Nogajski (fourth), Jeff Crowe (match referee)

News and reactions post-play: cricket.com.au and the CA Live app. The Unplayable Podcast will also be dropping a new episode after each days' play during the Ashes. Join host Josh Schonafinger and Louis Cameron to recap all the action and talking points from the Gabba. And you can listen to the back catalogue of episodes below.

Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on iHeart Radio

Fifth Test session times

First: 10:30am – 12:30pm (11:30pm – 1:30am GMT)

Second: 1:10pm – 3:10pm (2:10am – 4:10am GMT)

Third: 3:30pm – 5:30pm (4:30am – 6:30am GMT)

*An extra 30 minutes is available to complete daily overs

Full series schedule

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Third Test: Australia won by 82 runs

Fourth Test: England won by four wickets

Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT

The squads

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

Australia have backed their Ashes squad to respond in the series finale in Sydney with selectors naming an unchanged 15-man group for Sunday's fifth Test at the SCG.

Australia confirmed the news on Thursday afternoon as Steve Smith's group assembled in Sydney for their first training hit-out following last week's four-wicket defeat to England inside two days on an MCG pitch deemed "unsatisfactory" by ICC match referee Jeff Crowe.

The loss was Australia's first to England in a men's Test on home soil in almost 15 years, as 36 wickets fell across two days in Melbourne. Ultimately it was a result of more consequence for England than Australia, with the hosts having already secured the Ashes urn following their third Test victory in Adelaide.

Andrew McDonald all but guaranteed veteran batter Usman Khawaja would be "marking centre" in Sydney after he posted the second-best score of Australia's first innings in a low scoring Boxing Day Test, but the Australian coach is looking for more out of his batting unit in the fifth Test.

Flexible batting orders to stay but Khawaja's future unclear

Uncertainty remains around Cameron Green's spot amid a tough series with the bat that is yet to see the West Australian register a half-century, with Beau Webster to rejoin the Test squad in Sydney following a Big Bash cameo with Hobart Hurricanes on Monday night. Webster has run the drinks for the entire series after he was an unlucky omission for the first Test having averaged almost 35 with the bat and 23 with the ball in seven Tests last year leading up to the Ashes.

"We know we've got a quality player sitting there waiting," McDonald said of Webster. "We've got a batting order that we'd like to think that can function at a higher capacity, so we'll be having conversations leading into Sydney."

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue

Gus Atkinson is the latest England bowler to have been ruled out of the tour, leaving England with just 14 fit and healthy players for the final Test in Sydney. Atkinson injured his hamstring bowling in the Boxing Day Test. It comes after Jofra Archer was sent home after the third Test in Adelaide with a side strain, and that followed Mark Wood having already been ruled out having managed just 11 overs before aggravating a knee injury in the series-opening Perth Test.

Atkinson out: England lose third Ashes quick

Seamer Matthew Potts now looms as a likely inclusion to play in Sydney, given the squad's reluctance to trust their front-line spin choice Shoaib Bashir. England will no doubt be buoyed by their Melbourne win on a pitch since deemed "unsatisfactory" by the ICC in a match that lasted less than two full days. Jacob Bethell impressed in the second innings after he had been recalled to the Test team in place of Ollie Pope, the former vice-captain who has failed to flourish in Australian conditions.

Possible XIs

Australia: Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Todd Murphy, Scott Boland

The rapid Boxing Day Test leaves Aussie quicks Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland well placed to back up for their fifth Test of the series, but despite naming an unchanged squad, there's several decisions Australian selectors will need to make when naming their final XI, with crucial World Test Championship points again up for grabs in Sydney.

One of the big calls that will begin to take shape when the Aussies get their first look at the SCG surface on Thursday will be whether off-spinner Todd Murphy comes into consideration after Australia opted to go without a spinner for the second time in the series in the previous match.

As it was for the pink-ball Test in Brisbane when Michael Neser took five second innings wickets to lead Australia to an eight-wicket victory, that call was vindicated by the fast bowlers sending down all 142 overs on a "furry" MCG surface as England chased down 175 to win in the final hour of day two.

Head's long-term role unclear in Aussies' unsettled top-order

The SCG's long-held reputation as Australia's friendliest spin venue has changed in recent years with last year's fifth Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test over before tea on the third day as the quicks captured all except one of the 34 wickets to fall in the match. However, injured Test spinner Nathan Lyon claimed four first innings wickets and Murphy two during one of two Sheffield Shield matches played at the venue so far this summer. Queensland and NSW leg-spinners Mitchell Swepson and Tanveer Sangha then took three second innings wickets apiece in the second Shield match staged at the SCG earlier this month.

"It takes a lot for us not to pick a spinner, and we have been pushed into making that decision," Australian coach Andrew McDonald said. "It's always going to be a challenge for spin with the way pink-ball Test matches play out, but red-ball games, that's the first time in a long time that we haven't picked a spinner.

"So it's not something that we like doing; I don't think it's something that will happen moving forward, this was an outlier … because of the surface that presented. I'd love to pick Todd; I'd love to see what he's got to offer. He's seven Test matches into his career and he's well placed on the back of the last two years (that he's had)."

Should Murphy be selected, it would likely be a battle between Neser and Jhye Richardson – who ended a four-year hiatus from Test cricket last week in Melbourne – for the third pace spot alongside evergreen pair Starc and Boland.

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue

Durham seamer Matthew Potts seems the logical choice to replace Gus Atkinson as the only unused fast bowler from England's original Ashes squad. The other option is Matthew Fisher, who came into the touring party when Mark Wood was ruled out with a knee injury.

Potts played his last Test in New Zealand in December 2024 and has taken 36 wickets at an average of 29 from 10 matches, while Surrey's Fisher made his sole Test appearance against West Indies in 2022 and took 0-105 against Australia A last month.

Young gun Jacob Bethell will hold his spot at No.3 following a crucial second innings hand of 40 to get England over the line in Melbourne. At 35 and 34 years old respectively, will this be the final time we see England greats Joe Root and Ben Stokes play Test cricket in Australia?

Players to watch

Usman Khawaja (Australia): The last time Khawaja faced England in an Ashes Test at the SCG he hit twin hundreds in a stunning return from a three-year absence from the Test team. It's been a turbulent series for the veteran left-hander after being unable to open the batting in the first Test in Perth due to back spasms. He then missed the second match with a back injury before being dropped and recalled for the next Test after Steve Smith was a late out due to illness, and he promptly reclaimed his place in the side with scores of 82 and 40 in Adelaide. Khawaja would no doubt love to finish the series on a high, regardless of the speculation surrounding his playing future.

Return of the Uz: When Khawaja made SCG his own

Josh Tongue (England): Had to bide his time on the sidelines across the first two Tests but the England speedster has made his presence felt since getting his opportunity in Adelaide. Followed up his second innings four-for in the third Test with 5-45 on Boxing Day before claiming another two wickets in the second innings to help England to their first victory on Aussie soil in almost 15 years. Tongue can stake a claim for a long-term place in the visitors' Test attack with another strong showing in Sydney.

Tongue lashes Aussies with Boxing Day five

Local knowledge

The Sydney Cricket Ground has played host to many Ashes memories in recent times. Whether it was hometown hero Steve Waugh's career-saving last-ball century in 2003, the farewell to retiring legends Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer in 2007, or the victory lap enjoyed by the last England team to win a series on these shores in 2011, the SCG has had no shortage of Ashes moments to remember this century.

Australia will enter the match with historical comfort, having won 62 of 113 matches at the venue. In fact, they have only lost there twice this century, to England in dead rubbers on both occasions (2003 and 2011).

But what all parties will be hoping for is a result, given six of the past 11 SCG Tests have finished in a draw.

England have a reasonable record at the ground, as far as touring sides go. They have won 22 and lost 27 from 57 starts, but some of their recent matches have ended in blowouts, on both sides of the ledger.

Given the venue has been the host of the final match of the men's Test summer since the late 1990s, it holds some bitter memories for the visitors.

It's the site where Australian captains such as Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Steve Smith have all held aloft the MCC Waterford Crystal Trophy as Ashes victors, with Smith to do so again this summer as stand-in skipper. Since 1999, Andrew Strauss remains the only Englishman to have had such pleasure.

Form guide

Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, D: draw

Australia: LWWWWWWLWW

Australia's first loss in seven Tests came on a pitch ultimately deemed "unsatisfactory" by ICC match referee Jeff Crowe. While it's hardly cause for concern given Andrew McDonald's unit have already secured the Ashes and are flying at the top of the World Test Championship standings, the Australian coach is hoping for better returns from his batting line up after a poor showing in the second innings in Melbourne. This will be Australia's final Test match until they host Bangladesh in the Top End in mid-2026 and with 11 wins from their past 14 starts, you'd back the hosts to respond in the Ashes finale in Sydney.

Cricket.com.au's best Test XI of 2025

England: WLLLLDWLWW

Snapped a four-game losing streak and an almost 15-year wait for a win on Aussie soil with their nerveless run chase on a dicey deck at the MCG. Unfortunately, it's a win that came too little, too late for England with the Ashes already gone. Languishing in seventh place on the WTC standings with three wins from nine matches, Ben Stokes' side desperately need another 12 points in Sydney if they're to remain a factor in this 2025-27 cycle ahead of a home summer against New Zealand and Pakistan for three Tests each.

World Test Championship

Australia's loss at the MCG was their first blemish of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. But with six wins from seven Tests, they still sit comfortably ahead of New Zealand at the top of the standings with a points percentage of 85.71. England remain in seventh despite their first men's Test victory on Australian soil in almost 15 years, and they're still a long way behind sixth-placed India.

With no more Tests in the pipeline until Bangladesh host Pakistan in March, the only change to these standings will come via an Australian loss in Sydney, in which case they'll drop below New Zealand and level with reigning WTC champions South Africa. The top two teams, ranked according to their percentage of points won, will face off in the WTC final in England in mid-2027. Teams receive 12 points for a Test win, six for a tie and four for draw.

Rapid stats

England defeated Australia by four wickets when they last met in a men's Test match (December 2025 at the MCG), snapping a three-match losing run against them; they will be aiming for consecutive wins against Australia in the format for the first time since August 2015 and for the first time in Australia since January 2011.
Australia are undefeated in their last three men's Tests against England at the SCG (won two, drawn one); the last time they recorded a longer unbeaten run against them in the format at the venue was a seven-match span (won three, drawn four) from January 1980 to January 1999.
England haven't drawn a men's Test away from home since March 16, 2022 against West Indies (prior to when Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took over as captain and coach), picking up nine wins and 12 defeats in away Tests since; though, their 25 per cent win rate away from home in 2025 is their lowest in a calendar year since 2019 (17 per cent – one win from six matches).
Australia's loss to England at the MCG snapped their six-match winning streak in men's Tests. They've not lost more than one match in a men's Test series at home since a 1-2 series loss to India in 2020-21.

Richardson reflects on comeback performance, Root wicket

England recorded a batting dot ball rate of 66.9 per cent in men's Tests in 2025, the best of any team, while their 2.09 runs per scoring shot was the second best of any team in the format (West Indies – 2.11 per scoring shot).
Australia recorded a collective bowling average of 20.9 in men's Tests in 2025, the best of any team; in addition, they drew a false shot on 30 per cent of their balls bowled, which was the best rate of any side.
Will Jacks (England) scored 53.4 per cent of his 118 runs from singles in men's Tests in 2025, the second highest rate of any player (minimum 60 runs scored) in the format (Mushfiqur Rahim – 55.5 per cent of 503 runs for Bangladesh). Jacks has scored fewer than 10 runs in two of his past three Test innings.
Mitchell Starc (Australia) took 55 wickets in men's Tests in 2025 – 12 more than any other player in the format; his 2025 bowling average (17.3) is the second best of any player to take 40-plus wickets in a calendar year for Australia in the history of the format (Bert Ironmonger – 42 wickets, 14.2 average in 1931).

Indestructible Starc backed to defy history in 2027

Jamie Smith (England) recorded a catch success rate of 94.4 per cent (34 off 36 attempts) in men's Tests in 2025, the best of any player (minimum 10 catches); indeed, his 34 total catches were the second most of any player behind Australia's Alex Carey (44).
Steve Smith (Australia) has scored 614 runs at an average of 55.8 across his past 14 Test innings; although, he was dismissed for only four runs in his most recent innings at the SCG (January 2025 v India) – he hasn't been dismissed for fewer than 20 runs in consecutive Test innings at the SCG in his Test career.

2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes