Fifth Test, day one, Sydney - England win toss and bat
Root and Brook both hit fifties in unbroken 154-run partnership before bad light and rain eventually lead to early close at 06:00 GMT, with England 211-3
Duckett, Crawley and Bethell fall in first 13 overs to leave tourists 57-3
Australia hold unassailable 3-1 series lead
Highlights available on iPlayer from 17:00 GMT
Day two will begin 30 minutes early at 23:00 GMT Sunday 4 January (10:00 local time, Monday 5 January)
Image source, Getty ImagesThe big news from the toss is that spinner Shoaib Bashir misses out once again.
There's only one change for England, with Matthew Potts replacing injured pacer Gus Atkinson. A huge match for the Durham man to stake a claim for a regular spot in the pace attack.
Several other players - Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Smith - will also want to deliver statement performances in Sydney.
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue.
Australia XI: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland.
Ben Stokes calls tails. It's tails.
England will bat first.
Image source, Getty ImagesHello there! Happy New Year!
And just like that, it’s the final Test of the 2025-26 Ashes.
Australia retained the urn before Father Christmas had started packing his sleigh but it was England who finished 2025 with a win, triumphing by four wickets in Melbourne.
What does 2026 have in store? 4-1, 3-1, or 3-2?
Toss and team news coming up.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crawley,leg before wicket, bowled Neser Crawley, leg before wicket, bowled Neser | 16 | 29 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 59 | 55.17 |
Duckett,caught Carey, bowled Starc Duckett, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 27 | 24 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 34 | 112.50 |
Bethell,caught Carey, bowled Boland Bethell, caught Carey, bowled Boland | 10 | 23 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 43.48 |
Root,caught and bowled Neser Root, caught and bowled Neser | 160 | 242 | 144 | 15 | 0 | 398 | 66.12 |
Brook,caught Smith, bowled Boland Brook, caught Smith, bowled Boland | 84 | 97 | 46 | 6 | 1 | 164 | 86.60 |
Stokes,caught Carey, bowled Starc Stokes, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0.00 |
Smith,caught Boland, bowled Labuschagne Smith, caught Boland, bowled Labuschagne | 46 | 76 | 55 | 6 | 1 | 104 | 60.53 |
Jacks,caught Green, bowled Neser Jacks, caught Green, bowled Neser | 27 | 62 | 48 | 2 | 1 | 76 | 43.55 |
Carse,caught Carey, bowled Green Carse, caught Carey, bowled Green | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 16.67 |
Potts,not out Potts, not out | 1 | 16 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6.25 |
Tongue,bowled Neser Tongue, bowled Neser | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
Extras, no balls 3, wides 2, byes 1, leg byes 6, total 12 Extras, no balls 3, wides 2, byes 1, leg byes 6, total 12 | |||||||
Total,384 all out 97.3 overs Total,384 all out 97.3 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starc | 23.0 | 2 | 93 | 2 | 90 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 4.04 |
Neser | 18.3 | 2 | 60 | 4 | 82 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3.24 |
Boland | 26.0 | 2 | 85 | 2 | 107 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3.26 |
Green | 18.0 | 0 | 85 | 1 | 63 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 4.72 |
Webster | 5.0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.00 |
Head | 4.0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5.00 |
Labuschagne | 3.0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4.66 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
35 for 1 (6.5 overs) | Duckett |
51 for 2 (11.4 overs) | Crawley |
57 for 3 (12.6 overs) | Bethell |
226 for 4 (47.4 overs) | Brook |
229 for 5 (50.5 overs) | Stokes |
323 for 6 (74.4 overs) | Smith |
375 for 7 (91.6 overs) | Jacks |
382 for 8 (94.1 overs) | Carse |
384 for 9 (97.1 overs) | Root |
384 for 10 (97.3 overs) | Tongue |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head,leg before wicket, bowled Bethell Head, leg before wicket, bowled Bethell | 163 | 166 | 91 | 24 | 1 | 324 | 98.19 |
Weatherald,leg before wicket, bowled Stokes Weatherald, leg before wicket, bowled Stokes | 21 | 36 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 57 | 58.33 |
Labuschagne,caught Bethell, bowled Stokes Labuschagne, caught Bethell, bowled Stokes | 48 | 68 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 91 | 70.59 |
Neser,caught Smith, bowled Carse Neser, caught Smith, bowled Carse | 24 | 90 | 79 | 4 | 0 | 115 | 26.67 |
Smith,caught Smith, bowled Tongue Smith, caught Smith, bowled Tongue | 138 | 220 | 143 | 16 | 1 | 332 | 62.73 |
Khawaja,leg before wicket, bowled Carse Khawaja, leg before wicket, bowled Carse | 17 | 49 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 34.69 |
Carey,caught Bethell, bowled Tongue Carey, caught Bethell, bowled Tongue | 16 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 123.08 |
Green,caught Duckett, bowled Carse Green, caught Duckett, bowled Carse | 37 | 64 | 45 | 3 | 1 | 84 | 57.81 |
Webster,not out Webster, not out | 71 | 87 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 123 | 81.61 |
Starc,bowled Tongue Starc, bowled Tongue | 5 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 35.71 |
Boland,caught Brook, bowled Jacks Boland, caught Brook, bowled Jacks | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.00 |
Extras, no balls 5, wides 4, byes 4, leg byes 14, total 27 Extras, no balls 5, wides 4, byes 4, leg byes 14, total 27 | |||||||
Total,567 all out 133.5 overs Total,567 all out 133.5 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carse | 27.0 | 2 | 130 | 3 | 107 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 4.81 |
Potts | 25.0 | 1 | 141 | 0 | 93 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 1 | 5.64 |
Tongue | 30.0 | 0 | 97 | 3 | 123 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 3.23 |
Stokes | 27.4 | 6 | 95 | 2 | 122 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 3.43 |
Jacks | 8.5 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.84 |
Bethell | 15.2 | 1 | 52 | 1 | 61 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3.39 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
57 for 1 (12.2 overs) | Weatherald |
162 for 2 (30.6 overs) | Labuschagne |
234 for 3 (54.4 overs) | Neser |
288 for 4 (67.1 overs) | Head |
339 for 5 (83.4 overs) | Khawaja |
366 for 6 (88.1 overs) | Carey |
437 for 7 (106.3 overs) | Green |
544 for 8 (128.5 overs) | Smith |
564 for 9 (132.6 overs) | Starc |
567 for 10 (133.5 overs) | Boland |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crawley,leg before wicket, bowled Starc Crawley, leg before wicket, bowled Starc | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 50.00 |
Duckett,bowled Neser Duckett, bowled Neser | 42 | 55 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 96 | 76.36 |
Bethell,caught Carey, bowled Starc Bethell, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 154 | 265 | 170 | 15 | 0 | 384 | 58.11 |
Root,leg before wicket, bowled Boland Root, leg before wicket, bowled Boland | 6 | 37 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 16.22 |
Brook,leg before wicket, bowled Webster Brook, leg before wicket, bowled Webster | 42 | 48 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 89 | 87.50 |
Jacks,caught Green, bowled Webster Jacks, caught Green, bowled Webster | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Smith,run out Weatherald Smith, run out Weatherald | 26 | 41 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 63.41 |
Stokes,caught Smith, bowled Webster Stokes, caught Smith, bowled Webster | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 20.00 |
Carse,caught Smith, bowled Boland Carse, caught Smith, bowled Boland | 16 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 80.00 |
Potts,not out Potts, not out | 18 | 43 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 80 | 41.86 |
Tongue,caught Labuschagne, bowled Starc Tongue, caught Labuschagne, bowled Starc | 6 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 42.86 |
Extras, no balls 2, wides 3, byes 9, leg byes 11, penalties 5, total 30 Extras, no balls 2, wides 3, byes 9, leg byes 11, penalties 5, total 30 | |||||||
Total,342 all out 88.2 overs Total,342 all out 88.2 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starc | 18.2 | 2 | 72 | 3 | 74 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3.92 |
Boland | 25.0 | 6 | 46 | 2 | 119 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1.84 |
Neser | 16.0 | 0 | 55 | 1 | 66 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3.43 |
Green | 6.0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6.66 |
Webster | 16.0 | 1 | 64 | 3 | 57 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4.00 |
Head | 4.0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6.25 |
Labuschagne | 3.0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5.00 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
4 for 1 (0.5 overs) | Crawley |
85 for 2 (19.1 overs) | Duckett |
117 for 3 (31.6 overs) | Root |
219 for 4 (51.1 overs) | Brook |
219 for 5 (51.3 overs) | Jacks |
264 for 6 (64.1 overs) | Smith |
267 for 7 (65.2 overs) | Stokes |
297 for 8 (70.3 overs) | Carse |
328 for 9 (84.2 overs) | Bethell |
342 for 10 (88.2 overs) | Tongue |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head,caught Carse, bowled Tongue Head, caught Carse, bowled Tongue | 29 | 35 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 53 | 82.86 |
Weatherald,caught Potts, bowled Tongue Weatherald, caught Potts, bowled Tongue | 34 | 40 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 71 | 85.00 |
Labuschagne,run out Potts Labuschagne, run out Potts | 37 | 40 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 60 | 92.50 |
Smith,bowled Jacks Smith, bowled Jacks | 12 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 100.00 |
Khawaja,bowled Tongue Khawaja, bowled Tongue | 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 85.71 |
Carey,not out Carey, not out | 16 | 27 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 59.26 |
Green,not out Green, not out | 22 | 27 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 81.48 |
Extras, no balls 0, wides 1, byes 3, leg byes 1, total 5 Extras, no balls 0, wides 1, byes 3, leg byes 1, total 5 | |||||||
Total,161 for 5 31.2 overs Total,161 for 5 31.2 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carse | 8.0 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 6.37 |
Tongue | 11.0 | 0 | 42 | 3 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3.81 |
Bethell | 3.0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5.33 |
Jacks | 6.2 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6.63 |
Root | 3.0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
62 for 1 (10.3 overs) | Head |
71 for 2 (14.4 overs) | Weatherald |
92 for 3 (17.5 overs) | Smith |
119 for 4 (22.1 overs) | Khawaja |
121 for 5 (23.1 overs) | Labuschagne |