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The players are about to take the field for an extended first session that will last two and a half hours. If Travis Head is batting at lunch, Australia will be firmly in the driving seat.

A Sea of Pink for a Cause

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

A fan dressed in all pink arrives at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

On-Field Tensions Bubble Over

It was hard to know whether it was a signal sent to the Australians or his own bowlers. Ben Stokes signed off a frustrating second evening in Sydney by swapping words out in the middle with Marnus Labuschagne. Seemingly reacting to something said by Labuschagne, Stokes was audibly telling “shut the fuck up” as the over concluded. He then walked over and placed a hand on the batsman's shoulder to continue the exchange.

As the umpires moved in, the England skipper departed following a brief pat. Under ICC regulations, the England captain could be reprimanded for “inappropriate physical contact”.

Questions Over Australia's Bowling Tactics

Shane Warne's biography title 'No Spin' was not an endorsement of the tactic. Speaking for the dead is unacceptably presumptuous, but his record in life was loud and clear in supporting fellow spinners. Sides should always retain a spin bowling option was his frequent argument.

Nor is allegiance of style the only factor. Former pace colleague Jason Gillespie echoed the sentiment observing the Sydney Test. “You need that variety,” he said on radio.

Australia didn’t have it. Instead, they had three specialist fast bowlers, 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 turn to specialist spin when Root and Harry Brook were coasting. It would have been helpful to save Mitchell Starc from bowling a fourth spell.

Setting the Scene for Day Three

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 pervaded this Test so far.

Final Ashes Tests often prove anticlimactic, particularly when England play in Australia. This feels flatter than the rest, largely due to the pre-series hype. Two dead rubbers? It’s not what we thought ahead of the 2025-26 Ashes.

There isn’t even the jeopardy of a potential whitewash; the outcome will be either 4-1 or 3-2 to Australia. At this moment, 4-1 looks more likely. An underwhelming display with the ball from England let Australia race 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 1 from 15.

Neser received a painful blow to the elbow near the end of play, a reminder that this pitch – though largely good for batting – is somewhat unpredictable. If England, particularly Matthew Potts, find their length this morning they could reignite the contest.

In the context of the match, the morning's play is vital. It's simply that the fixture lacks the significance we anticipated.