Australia
England
Australia and England will meet in the fifth and final Test of the Ashes 2025/26 at the SCG. England will arrive with relief after a 4-wicket win at the MCG. That victory ended a wait of more than 14 years for an away Test win over Australia. It was England’s first win in Australia since January 2011, also at the SCG.
England avoided a whitewash with the win. The MCG result brought the series scoreline to 3-1. Australia still holds the upper hand in the series. England will enter this match with one win in their last five Tests. Australia comes in with 1 loss in their last 5 Tests.
Australia have retained the same squad from Melbourne. England is dealing with another major injury concern. Conditions in Sydney will test patience with the bat. Spinners and disciplined seamers will be crucial as the match progresses.
The SCG will offer a better batting surface. Head, Khawaja, Root and Brook are all in form after scoring well in this series, so a century is very likely.
The betting tip is...
Any Player to Score a Hundred.
73 %
27 %
AustraliaEnglandSteve Smith will lead Australia in Pat Cummins’ absence. Usman Khawaja will stay in the XI after batting his way back into the side at Adelaide despite earlier scrutiny. Travis Head will continue to open as he’s the highest run-scorer of the series with 437 runs at an average of 54.62.
Cameron Green’s role will stay under focus after batting in 5 different positions across his last 5 Tests. His recent scores of 24, 45, 0, 7, 17 and 19 will keep pressure on his spot, especially with Beau Webster scoring 4 fifties in just 12 innings.
Mitchell Starc will lead the attack again after taking 26 wickets in the series and 55 Test wickets in 2025. Scott Boland will support him with 27 wickets in his last five Tests, while Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson will add depth.
Head, Khawaja and Smith are the key batters.
Predicted Lineup: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland
England will arrive in Sydney with another injury concern in the pace unit. Gus Atkinson will miss the final Test with a left hamstring injury. Mark Wood was ruled out earlier with a knee injury, and Jofra Archer was also unavailable after Adelaide.
England’s fast bowlers performed well at MCG. Brydon Carse took 5 wickets across the match. Atkinson claimed 3, while Ben Stokes took 4. Josh Tongue backed up his Adelaide spell with 7 wickets in Melbourne. He has 33 wickets in his last 6 matches, matching Stokes’ tally.
Joe Root will remain England’s key batter after finishing 2025 with 4 Test hundreds at an average above 50. Harry Brook will follow with 771 runs in 10 matches at 45.35. Jacob Bethell will continue after scoring 1 and 40 at the MCG.
Root, Brook and Crawley are the key batters.
Predicted Lineup: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue
The MCG Test did not even see a fifty being scored across all 4 innings. The pitch did not allow an even contest between bat and ball, and favoured the bowlers too much. The Sydney pitch is expected to produce more runs than the Melbourne pitch, as it will offer a better batting surface. The SCG will allow batters to spend time at the crease and build long innings.
Australia’s top order looks more settled in these conditions. Travis Head will continue his strong series and will look capable of converting another start into a big score. Usman Khawaja has also scored multiple fifties in this Ashes series. For England, Joe Root and Harry Brook will remain the key threats after both already reached three figures in the series. With better batting conditions, a long individual innings will be seen.
