Both sides make just one change with a flatter pitch expected at the SCG and some wet weather forecast
Big Picture
But there is not much to wait for as the SCG prepares to host yet another Ashes dead rubber. Sydney cricket fans have not seen an Ashes Test where the urn is still to be decided since 1994-95, although the 1998-99 and 2010-11 series could still have been drawn there.
Form guide
(most recent first)
Australia WWWLD
England LLLLW
In the spotlight
Team news
Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Marcus Harris, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Usman Khawaja, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott Boland
Robinson has been left out after labouring a touch in Melbourne and Broad is his replacement having played just one Test in the series so far. England’s batting remains the major issue but no changes have been made despite only two players reaching 30 across two innings in Melbourne.
England: 1 Haseeb Hameed, 2 Zak Crawley, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Joe Root, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Jos Buttler, 8 Mark Wood, 9 Jack Leach, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson
Pitch and conditions
Stats and trivia
- England’s record at the SCG is better than any other venue in Australia. They have won 22 times in 56 Tests and it is the site of their last Test victory in Australia in 2011.
- Khawaja has been in and out of Australia’s Test team several times since his debut in the fifth Ashes Test in 2010-11. But this is his longest stretch between Test appearances having last played in August 2019. His previous longest was two years and three months between August 2013 and November 2015.
- Nathan Lyon averages 40.94 with the ball at the SCG, his least effective ground in Australia where he has played multiple Tests. Mitchell Starc averages 42.30 at the SCG, his worst ground in Australia by some margin.
- England’s average of 18.75 runs per dismissal is their worst average in any Ashes series of three or more matches played in Australia. England averaged 20.20 in 1882 but won that series 2-1.
Quotes
“We are very privileged to get the opportunity to represent our country and we’ve got two games here to show how much we care about that, and to make sure that we put in better performances than we have done so far in this tour. Those guys in that dressing room really care about it and we’ve got to sort of find a way of showing that now in the field.”
Joe Root says his side is hurting and wants to show something in the last two Tests.
“Traditionally here over the last 10 years, it’s been pretty hard work for the bowlers. I don’t see a lot that’s going to be different this week. There’s a bit of grass, there’s going to be a bit of weather. I don’t think we’re going to see it break up and turn or have that traditional kind of dusty spinning wicket from maybe 10-plus years ago. We’ll wait and see but it looks really even at the moment.”
Pat Cummins thinks the SCG pitch will be pretty good for batting.
Alex Malcolm is an Associate Editor at ESPNcricinfo