England’s Harry Brook and Joe Root in action as they run between the wickets, as Australia’s Cameron Green reacts after bowling, on January 4, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first on the opening day of the fifth Ashes test against Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday (January 4, 2026).
Neither team selected a specialist spinner, with England bringing seamer Matthew Potts into the side in place of the injured Gus Atkinson and Shoaib Bashir missing out again.
Australia all-rounder Beau Webster will also play his first match of the series after replacing quick Jhye Richardson in the team. Off-spinner Todd Murphy was named 12th man.
Australia lead the series 3-1 and have already ensured they will retain the Ashes urn.
The action will start under sunny skies but there is a chance of some stormy weather after lunch.
The match was preceded by a ceremony honouring first responders and “community members who acted bravely” during the attack by gunmen which killed 15 people at a Jewish event at nearby Bondi Beach on December 14.
The unusually high level of security for the match was evident outside the ground with riot police observing the crowd as they entered the venue.
Teams
Australia: Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (captain), Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland.
England: Ben Stokes (captain), Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue
Published – January 04, 2026 07:18 am IST
