England’s Jacob Bethell, right, and teammate Ben Duckett run between the wickets during play on day four of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, on January 7, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
Australia were all out for 567 before lunch on day four of the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney on Wednesday (January 7, 2026) after building a 183-run first innings lead over England.
Travis Head hit a superb 163 and Steve Smith 138 in reply to England’s 384, which was built off the back of Joe Root’s 160 .Beau Webster was not out 71.
They resumed on 518-7 with England removing Smith, Mitchell Starc (6) and Scott Boland (0) within the first hour of play.
But in a setback, skipper Ben Stokes limped off clutching what appeared to be his groin in just the third over of the day — his second.
Josh Tongue took 3-97 and Brydon Carse 3-130.
Australia lead the five-Test series 3-1 after victories in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, which saw them retain the urn.
England restored pride with a lightning-quick win inside two days at Melbourne.
Published – January 07, 2026 06:42 am IST
