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
Joe Root and Harry Brook led a rescue mission after England lost three wickets in a torrid opening session of the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia in Sydney on Sunday (January 4, 2026).
At lunch, Root was not out 31 and Brook on 23 to steer them to 114-3 after opting to bat at a sold-out Sydney Cricket Ground.
Ben Duckett (27), Zak Crawley (16) and Jacob Bethell (10) all departed, with Mitchell Starc, Michael Neser and Scott Boland sharing the bowling spoils for Australia.
England came into the game buoyed by a four-wicket win inside two days at the previous Test in Melbourne, desperate to keep the momentum going.
It snapped a 15-year winless streak in Australia but came too late to save the series with the hosts retaining the urn by winning in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Australia sprung a surprise by including allrounder Beau Webster in place of quick Jhye Richardson with off-spinner Todd Murphy overlooked.
It is the first time in almost 140 years that the hosts have not played a front-line spinner during a Sydney Test.
England brought in seamer Matthew Potts for the injured Gus Atkinson in their only change.
Duckett was lively early, crunching five boundaries from Starc in a quickfire 27 off 24 balls.
But England’s tormentor-in-chief had the last laugh, enticing an outside edge from an angled ball to wicketkeeper Alex Carey at full stretch.
It was the fifth time Starc has bagged Duckett this series.
Crawley was next to go, trapped plumb lbw by Neser.
The Kent star reviewed, but it was always going to be out, with both openers back in the sheds by the first drinks break and the tourists tottering on 51-2.
A cautious Bethell took 15 balls to get off the mark and never looked confident.
He departed after prodding at a moving delivery from Boland that took a faint edge and was collected easily by Carey as England fell to 57-3.
Root joined Brook at the crease and they began to rebuild, putting on an unbroken 57 to reach the interval unscathed.
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
