England names XII and gets set to target Aussie spinner

England opener Zak Crawley has warned their batters will take the attack to Todd Murphy if the spinner is selected for his first Test in Australia.

After being left out for the two-day debacle at the MCG, Murphy is in contention to play in the Ashes finale in Sydney.

The 25-year-old played two Tests in the 2023 Ashes series after Nathan Lyon tore his calf muscle.

England went after Murphy at Headingley, with Ben Stokes hitting five sixes off the spinner.

He was subsequently left out for the next Test in Manchester, before rebounding well with six wickets in the series finale at The Oval.

All of Murphy's seven Tests have been in Asia or England.

"Whoever plays, I think that's the mantra of our team, is to try and put pressure on people," Crawley said.

"Todd's a very good bowler, but I can envisage us trying to put some pressure on him, like we would all their bowlers.

"That's going to come with some risks, and if it's turning it's definitely going to be a threat.

"But I think we'll try and put pressure on all their bowlers."

England kept the door open for their own "No.1 spinner" to play his first Test of this Ashes series, with Shoaib Bashir named in a 12-man squad for Sydney.

While Matthew Potts will replace the injured Gus Atkinson, Bashir is seemingly vying with Will Jacks to be England's spinner for the final Test.

Prioritised for the past two years with an eye to this Ashes series, Bashir has not been picked for any of the first four Tests.

Jacks has instead played in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne, despite England spin coach Jeetan Patel insisting a fortnight ago that Bashir was still their "No.1 guy".

With administrators still on edge after last week's two-day debacle in Melbourne, an extremely green SCG square raised eyebrows in Sydney on Thursday.

But chief curator Adam Lewis insisted on Friday that should not be a concern, and he was hopeful Sydney would extend into a fifth day.

"You want to see green tinge three days out," Lewis said.

"If you're not seeing any live grass three days out, then that's when (it's a worry) … I'm really comfortable with where we're sitting.

"We had a little bit of sun this morning. They're saying a bit more sun tomorrow.

"That will take the greenness out of the pitch. We're really happy with the pitches at the moment. We're looking good."

Lewis admitted he felt for MCG counterpart Matt Page last week, but said he felt no external pressure to ensure the fifth Test in Sydney went the distance.

Meanwhile, Crawley, who played a crucial knock in the successful run chase at the MCG, said England had gained confidence out of their first win in Australia for 15 years.

After England conceded the Ashes by losing in Adelaide, Crawley said it would be a "pretty good series" if they managed to end it 3-2 down.

"I think there's a big difference just internally in the group," Crawley said when asked the difference between losing 4-1 or 3-2.

"It just shows a lot about our group and how united we are if we can get a win.

"It might not go our way, but if we can put up a good performance this week, that says a lot about the group."

England XII: Ben Stokes, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue

2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes

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

Australia squad (fifth Test): 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

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