One last fight for England, one final walk for Khawaja

England's final practice session of the Ashes tour came to an end at around 3.15 pm on Saturday. Jacob Bethell was the last batter to finish, facing throwdowns from assistant coach Jeetan Patel before walking away towards the historic SCG pavilion. Not far behind were the leadership group of the England team.

Captain Ben Stokes, coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Robert Key, the three men who came together three-and-a-half years ago to revive English cricket and to then plot a legacy-defining Ashes campaign, chatted amongst themselves as they exited the stage on the eve of the fifth and final Test. There was a relaxed vibe to them, as is the case with this group most times, and there were some smiles too. Understandably so. Five more days to try and carry home whatever positives they can after what has been overall a disappointing two months in Australia.

There was no point in turning to look back. At a campaign where they never looked like they would put a finger on the urn. The Ashes are gone. The dream is gone.

And even if Stokes continued to talk about being in the present while focusing on the Sydney Test before looking ahead, it's unlikely that the powers that be in English cricket would not be at least contemplating some intense scrutiny already on what's transpired on this much-publicised trip. The England captain is right about how vital the next few days in Sydney are in terms of how this English team's otherwise ill-fated trip here is viewed in years to come.

For a 3-2 scoreline definitely reads a lot better than 4-1. Firstly, it'd mean that this team has won double the number of games than any English team in the last 15 years, having brought that drought to an end only last week in Melbourne. It would also suggest that the visitors were a lot closer than they actually have been when it mattered most. It would also mean that they'd have potentially won a Test where the focus is more on those playing than those preparing the pitch that they played on.

All while Australia look to get back on track in terms of World Test Championship points, having missed out on at the MCG. Now that they've made it clear that their Ashes campaign finished once they went 3-0 up in Adelaide.

That too in a special Test where one of their best ever, Usman Khawaja, brings his international career to an end. On what used to be his original home ground, having grown up literally a stone's throw away from the SCG. In front of family, friends and what used to be his home fans. Going out the way he'd have liked, with his career having come a full circle, nearly 15 years to the date he walked out to bat at the same ground in an Ashes Test.

When: Australia v England, 5th Ashes Test, January 4-8, 2026, 10:30 hrs Local Time, 10:30 hrs AEDT, 05:00 hrs IST

Where: SCG, Sydney

What to expect: Steve Smith spoke longingly about a Sheffield Shield match in 2012, when he scored a century but also then took a 7-wicket haul against South Australia. And wondered what happened to those traditional SCG pitches that routinely begged the question of whether Australia would play two spinners here like in the old days. Instead all the talk about the surface in the lead-up to this Test has been the grass cover on top, even if the curator has insisted that the greenness on top is just the flavour he was looking for. There is rain forecast, as is the norm, for the first two days of the Test but weather is unlikely to play as much a role in how quickly this Test finishes as the pitch itself.

Team News

Australia

With so much attention on the pitch, Australia have left themselves till the morning of Day One to take a final call on their team. Smith spoke about having all options on the table, which includes the possibility of both Cameron Green, who looks likely to play, and Beau Webster teaming up as all-rounders. That is only if Todd Murphy misses out again. Jhye Richardson bowled alongside Mitch Starc during the main session, and that could be a sign that he gets the nod ahead of Michael Neser. Smith also spoke about the workloads for Starc and Scott Boland, who've played all four Tests so far, but it's unlikely that either of them would be keen on a break on this SCG surface.

Probable XI:Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Beau Webster/Todd Murphy, Mitch Starc, Jhye Richardson/Michael Neser, Scott Boland

England

Stokes was very candid about never knowing what a pitch really would do despite looking like he knows what he's doing while checking out the 22 yards. And the only question for England revolves around whether Shoaib Bashir finally gets a go ahead of Will Jacks as the specialist spinner. Bashir did bat and bowl on the eve of the Test unlike Jacks who wasn't at training. Matthew Potts will get his first go in Ashes cricket in place of the injured Gus Atkinson.

Probable XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks/Shoaib Bashir, Matthew Potts, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue