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Ashes 2025-26: Australia vs England | 5th Test | Sydney | January 04-08 | Match Discussion

Which team will win the 5th Ashes Test?

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The Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle

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The 2025-26 Ashes series heads to its finale in Sydney with a mix of celebration and high stakes. While Australia secured the Urn early by winning the first three Tests, England arrives at the SCG with renewed momentum after a historic, chaotic victory in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

England’s 4-wicket victory at the MCG was their first Test win on Australian soil in 5,468 days (since January 2011). Having finally "broken the hoodoo," Ben Stokes and Joe Root will be desperate to finish the tour with a 3-2 scoreline, which would represent a remarkable comeback from 3-0 down.

Teams:

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

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

=======

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It has been a boring Ashes. Possibly the most boring Ashes in my lifetime.

I just hope Root will score big in this Test so that he can get closer to Tendu. :inti
 
Begaane shaadi mein bhaijaan deewaane....hum aapke hai kaun....ye rishta kya kehlata hai...Maan na maan mein tera mehmaan are some that readily to mind to explain the fixation with Root - the latest to bring sunshine in certain people's lifes...

any ways hoping for a good cracking test match over 5 days decided in the last hour of last session!
 
England won the toss and elected to bat first.

ENG - 5/0 (1 over).

I think England should've fielded first because they are a good chasing side. :inti
 
sweep_shot said:
I just hope Root will score big in this Test so that he can get closer to Tendu. :inti
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Sweep_shot bro don't let one man have this much control of your life, SRT is already controlling a good portion of Pakistani heads, don't let the same happen for Bangladeshis 😔
 
Romali_rotti said:
Sweep_shot bro don't let one man have this much control of your life, SRT is already controlling a good portion of Pakistani heads, don't let the same happen for Bangladeshis 😔
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Bangladeshis should invite England. Assuming they go Root can score 1000 runs in one innings agianst that rubbish bowling attack lol
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Bangladeshis should invite England. Assuming they go Root can score 1000 runs in one innings agianst that rubbish bowling attack lol
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Actually Rooty can't score to save his life against the Bengali kitty cats. England should just stick with the current strategy: keep making flat phatta wickets at home and also frequently schedule test series in Pakistan and he would have beaten SRTs record in no time..
 
Romali_rotti said:
Actually Rooty can't score to save his life against the Bengali kitty cats. England should just stick with the current strategy: keep making flat phatta wickets at home and also frequently schedule test series in Pakistan and he would have beaten SRTs record in no time..
Click to expand...
If Bangla boys go to England 1000 runs gauranteed
 
Why are sanghis discussing Bangladesh here? This thread is about Australia vs England. :inti

Just because you lost your puppet in Bangladesh doesn't mean you have to cry everywhere. :inti

Anyway, I am rooting for Root to break Tendu's record. :dav

ChatGPT Image Jan 3, 2026, 07_11_16 PM.png
 
Glorious cover drive from Root. Definitely better than Tendu's cover drive. :inti

He is on 6*. Only 2139 runs away from going past Tendu.

ENG - 63/3 (14 overs).
 
It seems like England have abandoned Bazball.

Root and Brook are currently not playing Bazball. They are batting sensibly. :inti
 
Cummins is managaing workload during Ashes. Josh is giving more improtance to T20 and IPL. Seems like only Starc is taking Ashes seriously.
 
As the commies say Root's achilles heel tap to third man will work here as it doesn't have bounce. He already made a few runs through that region.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Stupid decision. But England has a reason as they only have a rubbish spinner left with. Todd Murphy is a better spinner.
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True but that begs the question why they took him to Australia in the first place? They themselves don't have confidence in some of the rubbish players they back
 
jnaveen1980 said:
As the commies say Root's achilles heel tap to third man will work here as it doesn't have bounce. He already made a few runs through that region.
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It would be pretty pathetic for him to miss out here, on a good batting surface where he has gotten a start
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
It would be pretty pathetic for him to miss out here, on a good batting surface where he has gotten a start
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He and Kane williamson has that dreaded tap to third man shot which often proved to be their demise on bouncier wickets. Even Babar plays that shot a lot. But once bowlers started hitting the length within the stumps he couldn't play that shot anymore.
 
Root is only 2114 runs away from going past Tendu.

A double century here would be great. Pitch is good for batting. :inti
 
jnaveen1980 said:
He and Kane williamson has that dreaded tap to third man shot which often proved to be their demise on bouncier wickets. Even Babar plays that shot a lot. But once bowlers started hitting the length within the stumps he couldn't play that shot anymore.
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It's a bad habit that's hard to shake off if you're a batsman who plays the ball late/under the eyes like all these three
 
Root some of the shots he played today are so sweet and elegant.

It's amazing how well he does when he is under no pressure...
 
jnaveen1980 said:
His game is a fail proof game when the ball doesn't bounce too much. HE is going to unleash his anger on anyone who tours ENgland next.
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Bowling lacks any teeth here, I am watching Cam Green bowl and thinking surely there has to be a player in the domestic scene better than this kid, he is horrible.

Can't expect Starc and Boland to fire every game but I guess they are playing it casual as they already took the series...
 
Romali_rotti said:
Bowling lacks any teeth here, I am watching Cam Green bowl and thinking surely there has to be a player in the domestic scene better than this kid, he is horrible.

Can't expect Starc and Boland to fire every game but I guess they are playing it casual as they already took the series...
Click to expand...
Day 1 pitch which is generally sluggish. IT quickens up as the game goes on. But it will become drier. But no spinner to exploit. Some outstanding individuals like Starc, Head, Carey plus outstanding slip catching helped them win the series. Otherwise an average team without their big guns
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Day 1 pitch which is generally sluggish. IT quickens up as the game goes on. But it will become drier. But no spinner to exploit. Some outstanding individuals like Starc, Head, Carey plus outstanding slip catching helped them win the series. Otherwise an average team without their big guns
Click to expand...

Yeah, Starc looks cooked, he has had a long summer, Boland can only do so much.
Lack for Cummins, Hazelwood and Lyon really showing here.

Australia currently is an average team which is why I was surprised England couldn't with this ashes. I kind of over estimated the value of Jofra Archer he was horrible...
 
England Lions have woken up albeit a little too late. They should register a thumping win in this Test to at least make the shoreline respectable.

Aussie backup bowlers are mediocre trundlers.
 
England shine before weather halts Sydney Test

Just 45 overs possible on first day with Joe Root and Harry Brook putting together England's best partnership of the series

Australia's first spinless attack in Sydney since before Federation was punished following a promising opening hour as Joe Root and Harry Brook speed-ran England onto solid footing in the final Ashes Test.

Root (72no from 103 balls) and Brook (78no from 92) zoomed past their side's previous highest partnership of the series to have the visitors 3-211 after 45 overs when bad light, and then thunderstorms, limited day one to just 45 overs.

After days of speculation over how a green SCG pitch would play in the aftermath of Melbourne's two-day Test, Ben Stokes deemed the strip unthreatening enough to bat first for the third time this series after winning the toss.

And after a shaky start that saw his side slump to 3-57, England's two leading batters put underwhelming tours behind them to play their side into a strong position by the time booming thunder and windy showers paused their 154-run partnership.

There was hardly enough time to make a firm judgement on the wisdom or otherwise of Australia's decision to not play a frontline spinner in the harbour city for the first time in 138 years.

But the snub for Todd Murphy, in the hosts' squad as a replacement for the injured Nathan Lyon, does follow a pattern of the Aussies needing little encouragement to go full seam. Four times now in their past six Tests have they overlooked a spinner, losing just once; in Melbourne last week.

The Test had begun in bright sunshine with a moving tribute to the first responders of the recent Bondi Beach terror attack. Ahmed al-Ahmed, who wrestled a weapon off one of the shooters, among those given a standing ovation by an SCG crowd.

In that gleaming morning light, the prospect of England squandering the batting conditions Stokes had fancied looked set to manifest again as an initial burst of runs – 35 from the first 40 balls of the match – was curtailed by their top three subsequently all departing before the first drinks break.

Ben Duckett's increasingly haphazard approach to the new ball, as compared with Zak Crawley's clear improvement through this series, was again laid bare as Mitchell Starc again found the leftie's outside edge during an otherwise wayward opening spell.

Crawley's more convincing start was halted by a zipping Michael Neser ball that slammed into his pad. Like a mate convincing him to stay for one last drink before the bar closes, Jacob Bethell persuaded the opener to burn a review.

When Scott Boland cleverly shifted from around the wicket to over and found Bethell's outside edge, Root and Brook were in the familiar spot of beginning their innings with Australia's quicks still wielding a hard Kookaburra.

Where Brook's heart-in-mouth batting has become de rigeur over recent weeks, the sight of Root wildly attempting to cover drive his first ball (off Neser) required a double take. As if to reinforce the point, England's greatest run scorer then practiced an even more vicious swing.

It proved a rare blemish for the right-hander who has endured an underwhelming tour outside his Gabba ton under lights. Here, he raced to a 65-ball fifty as he showed masterful control of the late cut while also using better judgement with his driving.

If Root looked like a classical pianist whose instrument initially required some tuning, Brook was playing experiment jazz on a kazoo. Twice in his first eight balls did he French-cut Boland balls past his stumps, while the most egregious of several miscued hooks fortuitously landed between three of five leg-side fielders awaiting that exact outcome.

England's number five, dismissed five times in this series for scores between 30 and 52, nonetheless sustained his mad-cap brilliance and infuriated the Aussies by evading a short-ball trap they increasingly relied on as the pitch flattened through the afternoon.

Dark skies encircled as tea approached with umpires ruling the seamers' offerings had become too difficult for Brook and Root to sight. With no frontline spinner to bowl, captain Steve Smith had little option but to take his team off with the game firmly in England's control.

www.cricket.com.au

England shine before weather halts Sydney Test | cricket.com.au

Just 45 overs possible on first day with Joe Root and Harry Brook putting together England's best...
www.cricket.com.au www.cricket.com.au
 
Patience rewards Brook against Aussie challenge in Sydney

Following a rain-hit close to the day’s play, Harry Brook admitted his approach with the bat has been under constant scanner, particularly against disciplined bowling attacks that have targeted him throughout the ongoing ICC World Test Championship series in Australia.

Eyeing to close the five-Test series on a high, England ended a rain-hit Day 1 at 211/3 from 45 overs, with Brook remaining unbeaten on 78 alongside Root on 72.

"I've just got to be a little bit more patient and take my ones here and there," said Brook at end of day's play.

"Thankfully, I did that today. I did that in a couple of the other innings as well. That's something I've got to think about going forward and put that into my game."

The ICC No.2-ranked Test batter's innings was built more on absorption than flair, a noticeable shift from the boundary-laden style that has defined much of his rise during his formative years.

With Australia having gotten off to a strong start, the England batter leaned into a more pragmatic mindset. Walking in at 57/3, Brook managed to take the keep the scorecard ticking at a brisk pace, making 78* off 92, while also compiling an unbeaten 154-run partnership alongside seasoned Joe Root.

"I look to try and be a little bit more patient at times. Like I said a couple of weeks ago, absorb the pressure. Whether that's taking my ones instead of trying to hit boundaries, then so be it.

"It's obviously worked this series because I haven't scored as many runs as I'd have liked."

Australia’s bowlers once again turned to a familiar plan against Brook, probing him with sustained pressure and testing lines, with Mitchell Starc, Michael Neser and Scott Boland testing the batter’s ability post the lunch break.

“It’s obviously a ploy which has been used against me my whole career.

“I’ve experienced it a lot so far and I’m expecting to experience it a lot in the future.

“I thought I played it alright. I could have played it better at times. It didn’t feel amazing today, but on another day it’ll feel a hell of a lot better.

“I’m happy that I just got through it and take that momentum forward to tomorrow.”

Despite flashes of promise across the series, Brook admitted frustration at not converting starts into the kind of defining scores that have become his trademark. Brook has made 310 runs so far in the series, with two half-centuries to his name.

"It's been a frustrating series. I've been in double figures every innings bar one. That's what I've done so well in my career.

"I've managed to go on and get big scores. It just hasn't happened this series. There's obviously been periods where I've played them slightly differently."

Brook pointed to subtle differences in conditions and execution as a crucial factor, taking it as positives from the ongoing tour Down Under as England look to rise in the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 standings.

“It’s all part of the learning curve. It’s not an easy place to come on tour. The surfaces do change every game and throughout the game.

“It’s been a good trip to be a part of. Obviously we’ve ended up on the wrong side of it, but hopefully there’ll be plenty more times I come over here.”

ICC
 
sweep_shot said:
Openers were playing Bazball but they got out quickly. They were 60/3.

Root and Brook stabilized things by batting sensibly.
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Not sure about that - just watching the highlights and Brook had a big swish at a couple of short balls. Luckily for him it landed safe.

He has all the talent but decision making can let him down.
 
As posted by me earlier , it is a slow flat deck . ENG look good for 400 & AUS have bating depth till 10 with Webster at 8, Strac at 9 & Neser at 10 & with uselss Jacks as the 4th English bowler , expect hosts to get whatever ENG end up wih . That means 3rd innings stats on day 4 & by then DRAW should be fave !
When does the pitch spice up , mid day 4 or day 5 ?
 
Human786 said:
As posted by me earlier , it is a slow flat deck . ENG look good for 400 & AUS have bating depth till 10 with Webster at 8, Strac at 9 & Neser at 10 & with uselss Jacks as the 4th English bowler , expect hosts to get whatever ENG end up wih . That means 3rd innings stats on day 4 & by then DRAW should be fave !
When does the pitch spice up , mid day 4 or day 5 ?
Click to expand...
Austarlia doesn't have these massive century makers anymore. Fact that high risk Head is the leading scorer for Australia should alarm Australian selectors. Full blown transition is very near with aging Starc, frequently injuring Josh. THey may not have south african like talent pool. But one that are comign through look good for 10 years.
 
DRsohail said:
Good luck to him, looks possible but not easy with his age more than 35.
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He is 35. I think he can easily play for 4 more years (probably more).

It is not like England have many high quality Test batters. He is still their main batter.

If he plays for 3 more years, he should break this record.
 
Brook and Jamie throw away their wickets yet again
They're very talented batters, but don't have the temperament for test cricket
 
sindhiboy said:
Brook and Jamie throw away their wickets yet again
They're very talented batters, but don't have the temperament for test cricket
Click to expand...

Jamie survived. It was a no-ball. LOL.

But, yeah. He is playing poor Bazball shots. So did Brook but he at least scored 84.
 
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