Australia v England: Final Ashes Test, The Third Day Gets Underway

The players are about to take the field for an extended first session scheduled to run for two and a half hours. If Travis Head is batting at lunch, Australia will be strapped into the commanding position.

A Pink Outpouring of Support

It’s Jane McGrath Day at the SCG, with everybody wearing pink in solidarity with the McGrath Foundation. The occasion commemorates the foundation's commitment to providing cancer support.

A supporter clad entirely in pink makes their way into the Sydney Cricket Ground.

A Heated Exchange Mars the Evening

It was hard to know whether it was a message to Australia or his own bowlers. England's captain concluded a frustrating second evening in Sydney by swapping words out in the middle with Marnus Labuschagne. Appearing to respond to a comment by Labuschagne, Stokes was audibly telling “shut the fuck up” as the over concluded. He then walked over and put an arm around his opponent’s shoulder to prolong the conversation.

With the officials intervening, the England skipper departed after giving Labuschagne a squeeze. Under ICC regulations, the England captain could be reprimanded for “inappropriate physical contact”.

Questions Over Australia's Bowling Tactics

When Shane Warne called his biography No Spin, it wasn’t a recommendation. Speaking for the dead is unacceptably presumptuous, but his record in life was loud and clear in supporting fellow spinners. Teams should always give themselves the option of spin bowling was his common contention.

Nor is allegiance of style the only factor. Former pace colleague Jason Gillespie had the same view observing the Sydney Test. “You need that variety,” he stated during commentary.

Australia didn’t have it. Their attack featured a trio of pace specialists, two all-rounders used in puzzling roles and a sprinkle of part-time guff. They had an England innings that was allowed to pull away, with significant stands while Joe Root went on to his highest score in Australia of 160 and England their highest score of the series, 384.

It would have been helpful to introduce a specialist spinner when Root and Harry Brook were settling in. It would have been helpful to save Mitchell Starc from bowling a fourth spell.

Preamble: A Session of Significance

Greetings and welcome to our updates of day three at the SCG. There’s a big first session coming, yet one cannot ignore the end-of-term feeling that has characterized this Test so far.

We’re used to anticlimactic final Tests, particularly when England play in Australia. This one seems particularly subdued, mainly because there was such expectation. Two dead rubbers? It defies our predictions when we were imagining the 2025-26 Ashes.

There isn’t even the jeopardy of a possible series sweep; the series will end either 4-1 or 3-2 to Australia. At this moment, a 4-1 scoreline appears probable. A poor bowling performance from England allowed Australia to charge to 166 for two, trailing by 218 runs, in only 34.1 overs. Travis Head is unbeaten on 91 from 87 balls; Michael Neser, who came in as nightwatchman has scored a single from fifteen deliveries.

Neser received a painful blow to the elbow just before the close, highlighting that the surface – though largely good for batting – is on the capricious side. If England, particularly Matthew Potts, find their length this morning they could reignite the contest.

Regarding this specific game, the morning's play is vital. It's simply that the fixture lacks the significance we anticipated.