ASHES Australia v England 5th Test at SCG January 3-7

Neil Whitaker reports

Day 1

A COMBINATION of bad light and rain forced the abandonment of the first day of the final Test at the SCG at 17.01 with England on 211 for three after 45 overs with both Joe Root and Harry Brook at the crease.

For the fourth time in the series England won the toss and for the third time they decided to bat.  Desperate for the match to last at  least three days,  to get the Jane McGarth pink day in, the pitch looked like a road but that  didn’t stop England from sliding to 57 for three in 13 overs.

Both teams made one change from the Melbourne Test Australia brought in Beau Webster replacing Jhive Richardson while England played Matthew Potts instead of the injured Gus Atkinson.

Ben Duckett fell for the three card trick.   First he smashed Mitchell Starc to the cover boundary, then clipped him off his legs to the fine leg boundary. Finally he poked at Starc away from his body and Starc found his outside edge to Alex Carey.

After being bogged down Zak Crawley pulled Michael  Neser to the mid-wicket boundary to bring up England’s 50. He tried to repeat the shot to the next ball but missed the ball by a mile, was hit on his pads and given out. Crawley reviewed it and the replay showed it to be clipping the  leg stump.

Fresh from his 40 at Melbourne was this the day that Jacob Bethell would make his first  century. Sadly it was not to be, he was squared up by Scott Boland and edged him to Carey.  

It could have been worse. Root played an extravagant drive to his first ball but he missed the ball.  On four, Brook tried to turn Boland but got a leading edge and the ball somehow got to the third man boundary. Then on 20 he nibbled at one from  CameronGreen.  

The Yorkshire pair knuckled down and rarely looked in trouble.  Root played in his usual assured way while Brooks' innings was a roller coaster affair.  He clipped Neser off his toes to the square leg boundary. Later he played a delicate late to third man boundary.  Out of the blue, he top edged a pull off Starc but fortunately for Brook and England it fell short off three advancing Australians.

Root reached his 50 from 65 balls with seven fours while Brook’s 50 came from 63 balls with six fours.

Root hooked Green to the fine leg boundary despite the valiant attempts by Marnus Labuschagne to stop it.  In Green’s  next over Root edged a drive that flew over Usman  Khawaja at gully.

Brook hooked Green that just fell short off substitute Inglis at fine leg, two balls later  Brook got the  hook shot right and got a huge six. He went down the pitch to Green and cut him to the cover boundary.

He said: “We could hardly see the ball at the end, everyone was in the same boat and it was dark. And we can’t do anything about the weather.   Before I came here I  was expecting to face more spin but both teams have been outstanding. You can see why Australia have gone with five seamers.”

Australia’s assistant coach Dan Vettori said: “ I think  you’ve seen over the last three years there have been diminishing results for the spin bowler. It's  not something that we would like but it’s a nature of the surface. I think both teams saw that  the spin bowler hasn’t been effective in the last couple years so the assessment was around looking to use the same  which have been highly successful for us.

The wickets over the last couple years have been conducive to seam bowling and the seamers have been so effective that it’s hard to to go away from them so it just feels like they’re the ones that are going to be in the game most of the time and the spinners haven’t been able to get into the games on these types of surfaces. I think it’s probably just a point in time. I don’t think it’s going to  be something that’s going to continue on for years on end but at this point in time it’s about the fast bowlers but the spinners have plenty of opportunities coming up.”

Day 2

JOE Root hit his13th highest Test score of 160 and was the ninth man out as England  made 384 in  their first innings.

The former England captain, on his fourth Ashes tour, hit his first Test century in Australia in the second Test at Brisbane when he hit an unbeaten 138 in  his 16th Test match in Australia.  Root  looked destined to hit a big score from the firstb ball of the day from Scott Boland which he hit to the boundary.

He flat batted Mitchell Starc through long-on for three.  He late cut  Michael Neser through the slips to take him two short of his century.  Root edged a ball that dropped short of Cameron Green at second slip and to  end the over Root managed to keep one out that kept low.

Root drove Neser through mid-off for a couple to bring up his 41st Test Century, equalling Ricky Ponting’s number Test centuries, off 146 balls with 11 fours.  He brought up his 150, his 15th Test score of 150 or more, when he punched Starc into the covers  from 226 balls with 15 fours.

Root’s stay at the crease ended when Neser got one to rise at him who pushed at it and Neser in his follow through leapt to his right to take the catch. Neser said: “I thought that I would surprise him with a bouncer and as a bowler I  like to take catches because I pride myself on my catching.”

Root said:”It felt like it was easier to bat  yesterday.  Today we had to maximise our first innings score which is always important and that’s my job.  I don’t know if I’ll ever come back to Australia and play Test cricket.”

Harry Brook played in his normal way adding  12 in three overs but he fell when he tried to guide Boland through the gap between Steve Smith at first slip and Alex Carey but he  simply guided Boland to Smith. Brook hit eight fours and a six in his 84 which came from 97  balls.

Ben Stokes was a whisker away from edging his first ball from Boland to Carey but he was soon back in the hutch when he feathered Starc to Carey but umpire Chris Gaffaney was unmoved and the Aussies reviewed it.  After a couple  of minutes the replay showed Stokes had edged it.

Jamie Smith flicked Starc off his hips for a six over fine legs a couple of balls later he tried to hook Starc and got into a right mess.  He was lucky that the ball didn't drop onto his stumps or he didn’t stand on them.   England’s 250 came up when Smith  flat batted Starc to the long-on boundary.

On 22 Smith drilled Green to Labuschange  in the covers  but the bowler had over stepped.  To add insult to injury Smith edged the next ball to the boundary.  After bringing England’s 250 up he brought up England’s 300 when he whipped Beau Webster to the mid-wicket boundary.

With Australia opting not to play a spinner the part-time spin  of Travis Head was brought into the attack in the 72nd over.  It was another part-time bowler, Marnus Labuschange, who  broke the partnership between Smith and Root.  After adding 94 in 24 overs Smith backed away and smashed Labuschange to extra cover where Boland ran in from the boundary to take the catch.

Root added: “Both Brook and Smith were trying to move the game on.  I thought that Brook played very well and it could be a vital innings.  Smith maximised the time we had before they took the new ball. They were batting  to win, as usual we bat to get runs and not for ourselves,  but they are both very good players and they have both done good  things for England and the innings that Smith played laid the platform for Will Jacks.”

Root was joined by  Jacks, who pulled Labuschagne over fine-leg for a six. After the drinks break in the afternoon session Australia broke Root’s and Jacks partnership of 52 when Neser squared Jacks up who tried to turn Neser to leg but  got a leading edge and Green at gully took the catch. Last man Josh Tongue was bowled by a ball which was too fast for him. Neser finished with four wickets for 60.

England had two chances to get rid off Head and they didn’t take either of them. On 17 edged Matthew Potts and with the ball going at head height to Root all he could do was parry it along to the boundary.  In the next over he  was dropped by Ben Duckett at mid-wicket off Brydon Carse. Head edged a drive off Carse just wide off Jacob Bethell at gully but if Bethell had caught it, it would have been a spectacular catch. Next ball Head drove him to the extra cover boundary for his 21st Test 50.

Head majestically cut Tongue to the cover boundary ad drove Potts straight for another boundary.  He toyed with the England fielders when he uppercut Carse over the slip cordon for a one bounce four.  

England got their first wicket under the floodlights when Jake Weatherald tried to work Stokes to leg, missed the ball and was given out.  Weatherald reviewed it and the replay showed it to be clipping leg.  With a top score of 72 in the series his place in the Australian side must be under review.

Labuschange joined Head and the pair rarely looked in any trouble regularly finding the boundary and it was hard to find where England would get another wicket. That is until Labuschange was two short off his 50 when he edged a drive off Stokes and Bethell at gully took the catch in front of his face.

Neser added: “I am very happy with my performance today.  Cricket is a funny game and once you get into a rhythm it flows. Because we have a strong batting line-up,it was a no brainer for me to go in as night watchman.  My role with the ball because we haven’t got a spinner is to keep it simple.”

Day 3

ON the hottest day of the fifth test so far the Australian batters did their job as they kept England out on the field  for 90 overs while adding 342 for the loss of five wickets as they took their lead to 134 with two days to play. 

The day was book shelved by two centuries, with  good supporting batting and a brief period when England took a couple of quick Australian wickets to stem their run rate only to let the Aussies run away with it in the middle of it.

The two centuries were scored by Travis Head and captain Steve Smith.  Head hit his fourth highest Test score of 163, his second highest against England before he was leg before to Jacob Bethell in the third over after lunch but on the stroke of lunch he was dropped by Zak Crawley at leg slip off Will Jacks.

The morning session was a batting master class from Head as he demonstrated his skills with pulling, cutting the ball and uppercutting it as England struggled to curb him. He reached his 150 when he uppercut Josh Tongue over the slips to the third man boundary for  his seventh score of 150, this one from 152 balls with 23 fours with one six.

Head reached his third century of the series when he guided Tongue to the cover boundary and he celebrated by putting his helmet on his bat handle.  His came from 105 balls and included 16  fours.  It was his 12th Test match hundred and his fifth against England.

On 121 he pulled Brydon Carse to Jacks on the square leg boundary and looked in control of the catch but he spilled the chance.  Bethell said : “Jacks is a  confident guy and everybody drops catches and he won’t take it to heart.”

He backed away from Matthew Potts  and late cut him over the slips but the ball fell short off the diving Carse at third man.

Head backed away from Potts and pulled him over the mid-wicket boundary for his only  six of his innings. Early in the morning session he thrashed Tongue to the extra cover boundary, late cut the next ball through the slips and pulled the third ball to the mid-wicket boundary. His end came when he tried to sweep Bethel but missed the ball and was given out leg before. Head reviewed it  and the replay showed it to be hitting.

He said: “I’ve enjoyed opening the batting and it’s nice to contribute. I am not normally the one doing the heavy lifting, but it’s nice to help them out. At the start of the series I didn’t think that I would have the series that I have had. We’ll have plenty of time at the end of the series to reflect on it.  All I can do is score as many runs as I can.  I was disappointed when I got out. I felt that if I could make it to the new ball then I could have a lot of fun.

I’ve never scored a run before here at the S.C.G but I like to have the ball coming on to me. I love playing for Australia but it’s a game of cricket and I am enjoying it.”

Jacob Bethel said: “I didn’t think that he was going to sweep. I tried to bowl it as straight as possible and I got a wicket.”

Night watchman Neser fulfilled his role perfectly denying England’s attack for 93 minutes on Tuesday.  His first aggressive shot was a pull off Potts to the square leg boundary to take him into double figures. That shot sparked Neser into life, in the next over he late cut Carse to the point boundary and then drilled Potts to the extra cover boundary.

England lost their second review and then their final  review in efforts to get rid of Neser.  The first review against Neser came in the second over of the morning when they thought he had edged Tongue to Jamie Smith.  Neser was given not  out and the replay showed he had missed the ball.

England lost their last review when they went up for a leg before appeal against him, who was given not out.  The replay showed that although Neser was hit on his foot the ball had pitched outside off stump.

They finally broke the partnership when Neser edged a drive off Carse without moving his feet and  Smith took an easy catch.  But Neser did his job facing 90 balls in a partnership worth 72 in 24 overs.

Smith started his innings with deft shots around the wicket but when push came to shove he blasted England’s bowling around the field.   He shared in two 50 partnerships: first with Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green.

Usman Khawaja received a standing ovation as he made his way to the crease in his last Test and a big cheer when he got off the mark.  On five he edged Ben Stokes just wide off Harry Brook at second slip and the ball ran to the third man boundary. He drilled Potts to the  long-on boundary.

Usman Khawaja drove Stokes through mid-off to bring up their  50 partnership  from 98 balls. Sadly for the Aussies there were no more runs and for Usman Khawaja there is now one more Test innings left to get a final 50 or 100, or is there?

The partnership was broken when Usman Khawaja was leg before to Carse. Usman Khawaja reviewed it and it was hitting middle and leg.  As he walked off he received another ovation.

Five overs later England got another wicket and Australia were still 18 runs behind. Could they blow the Australian tail away.  Alex Carey hit consecutive fours off Carse: the first to the cover boundary and the second to the extra cover boundary.  He clipped Tongue off his toes straight to Bethell at leg slip.

Green pulled Stokes over the mid-wicket boundary for a huge six.  His innings was a supporting to  and when he finally departed pulling Carse to Ben Duckett on the square leg boundary he had added 71 with Smith.

Smith smashed Bethell down the ground for a huge six to bring up Australia’s 400.  Then he  swept Bethell for three to bring up his 37 Test century, his fifth at the SCG,  his 13th against England and his first of the series.  This one included 11 fours and a six.  None of the England bowlers could contain him as  the runs came easy to him.

After he had reached his century he top edged Potts to third man but Zak  Crawley couldn’t make the ground to take the catch.  Smith pulled Potts for a one bounce four, he backed away from the next ball and signalled a wide to the umpire who followed Smith’s lead.

Smith cut Tongue to the cover boundary. Pure timing from Smith saw him get anther boundary off Tongue as he rolled the ball to the extra cover boundary.

Head added: “Smith has spoken about the enjoyment that he’s had around this group.  He’s done a fantastic job as captain and he wants to contribute to the team and I hope that he plays for a long  time.

Beau Webster flat batted Potts to the  long-off boundary and later he showed that he could play the delicate shots as well as thrashing the ball to the boundary.  The brute force from Webster came to the fore when he pulled Jacks to the square leg boundary.

Bethell added: “It’s been a tough day, but we've got to come back tomorrow and take those three wickets and get batting.  Everyone in the squad wants to leave Australia 3-2 not 4-1. I think that  the guys who have played all the Tests are ready for a rest but they’ve done it before and they know how to deal with it.”

Day 4

JACOB  Bethell hit his maiden First class century in his seventhTest match as he and Harry Brook took England into the lead against Australia with  a stand of  102 for the fourth wicket in 20 overs.

He reached his century when he went down the pitch to Beau Webster, bowling his off spinners and lofted him  to the mid-wicket boundary.  His century came from 162 balls with 14 fours.

Bethell said: “It felt pretty special but it hasn’t sunk in yet and it was good  that my family were here  to see it. They want me to do well every time, my father was a cricketer but that doesn’t stop him getting nervous when I bat.

It’s nice to get over the line and it gives me confidence to get more.  I thought the bowlers did well to get those wickets in the morning and they kept us in the game.  We’ve got a lead of 119, we’ve got a chance if we can get a lead of 180 or 190.

They wanted me feel nervous when I got close to my hundred so  I was happy when they brought the spinner on and I was confident to take him on.”

Bethel came to the crease in the first over of England’s second innings after Zak Crawley was leg before to Mitchell Starc.  Trailing by 183 Crawley was given out  when he didn’t offer a shot to Starc. Crawley reviewed it and the replay showed it to be clipping off stump.

On one, Bethell edged Scott Boland just short off Steve Smith at second slip. His best shot was when he clipped Michael Neser off his legs to the square leg boundary.  He was fortunate to get away with an edge of Starc that raced to the boundary. A short ball from Cameron Green took the shoulder of his bat knocking Bethell off his feet and the ball raced to the third man boundary.

Bethell square cut Starc to the cover boundary to bring up his fourth Test 50 from 87 balls with seven fours.  He hit consecutive fours off Green: the first to square leg and the second through extra cover.  But it was that elusive century that has been  all the talk since Bethel was selected to play against New Zealand in 2024.

Brook played back to Webster hit on his and given not out.  Australia reveiwed it the replay  showed it to be hitting leg stump.   Then we had the customery England collapse as England went from 219 for three to 267 for seven.  Two wickets fell with the score on 219 and two fell for three runs leaving England on 267 for seven.

Will Jacks promoted to number six because of an injury to Ben Stokes smashed his first and only ball from Webster to Green coming in from the square leg boundary to take a tumbling catch.

Webster said: “If you had told me this morning that I would get  three wickets and 71 runs I would have taken that but Iam glad with those wickets and the runs.  I got a few balls to pitch in the rough and bite.  I am so glad that Alex Carey sent it upstairs, Jacks got an outside edge.  I was told this morning to be prepared to bowl some off spin.”

First ball after drinks Bethell pulled Marnu Labuschagne to Jake Weatherald set off then stopped, but  Smith was so close that he was nearly able to shake hands with Bethell had to turn and head back.  But he couldn’t beat Weatherald’s lob to Labuschange and was run out by a mile. In the next over Stokes cut Webster to Smith at slip.

Bethell added: “Stokes was moving gingerly and he told me ‘I  am walking them.”

Earlier Ben Duckett stroked Starc to the extra cover boundary.  He pulled Green to the mid-wicket boundary to bring up England’s 50 and he finished Green’s over by pulling to the square leg boundary to bring up the the 50 partnership with   Bethell.

On 38  a short ball from Neser took the shoulder of Duckett’s bat and was destined to be pouched by Smith at first slip but Green at second slip dived across Smith and dropped the ball.

In the third over after lunch Duckett’s 98 minute stay at the ended when he tried to cut Neser but the ball was too close to him and was bowled.  With Bethell they added 81 in 19 overs.

Australia lost a review whent they reviewed a leg before decision against Joe  Root but the replay showed that the ball had hit Root outside the line of off stump.  By his standards Root had a torrid time not able to get the all and he was eventually leg before to Boland for six.   Root reviewed the decision but the  replay showed it to be clipping leg stump.

Smith started the day by hitting six runs of the first of the day from Stokes, who left the field after four balls of his second over with a pain in his right abductor (hip).

Webster’s 50 came from 64 balls with five fours.  He glanced Brydon Carse off his legs to the fine leg boundary.

Josh Tongue in his first over of the day squared Smith up and took his edge to his namesake Jamie.  Smith’s 138 came from 220 balls with 16 fours and a six.  With Webster they 107 in 22 overs.

He got his second wicket of the morning when he angled one in at  Starc and bowled him.

Jacks got his only wicket of the innings with his fifth ball of the morning when Boland went back to him and the ball turned taking his outside edge to Brook at slip.  England who didn’t play their front line spinner Shoaib Basher because they didn’t think that the ball would spin used two part time spinners who bowled 24 overs between them and took two wickets.

Webster added: “Coming into the summer I thought I was as good as anybody else but the selectors pick the best 11, you aren’t dropped there are always a couple  of guys who are left out.”

Day 5

AUSTRALIA beat England by five wickets with over a session to spare to take the series 4-1.

England captain Ben  Stokes said: “ I think that where we are at the moment is an interesting place for us as a team,  we were consistent for the first couple of years but now we are playing teams who are coming up with plans against us. When we have been positive we have almost gifted the flow of the game to them.  

I cannot fault the commitment of the players it’s just been down to the execution of our options. Brydon Carse has run in and  given his all with the ball in every Test  he has played as well as Josh Tongue.  In fact I have not seen anyone not giving his all.  The hardest thing that I have to do now is the message I am going to give the dressing room, there is no right or wrong way to go about it but I don’t want the dressing room to implode.  I have not been up to the levels that I expected and being trueful to yourself or being told the truth is sometimes what you want but it is  the best thing that you can hear.  But there’s a lot of time between now and our next Test match against New Zealand and when we get to New Zealand we can hit the ground running.

Jacob Bethell has been around the team for a long time and what he showed yesterday is what we saw in his potential and his innings was outstanding especially the way he structured it.  I just hope that his innings doesn’t get forgotten about because we lost a big series.

In this series the big difference in the sides was that when Australia had a chance they took it.”

Australia’s captain Steve Smith said: “We’ve had some incredible performances, Mitchell Stark and Scott Boland who both played in all five Test matces which is a tremendous effort and other players have stood upwhen they were needed.  Beau Webster coming in at number nine after the night watchman with his unbeaten 70 and three wickets, Travis Head and Michael Neser for example.  Everyone who came in and did a job when needed it.  Alex  Carey with the bat and his gloves, standing up to the seamers putting pressure on England’s batting.

I thought the pitch was awesome not just this pitch but the pitches all summer have been wonderful.  It’s been a wonderful series to be part of.”

Seeing Australia home were  Carey and Cameron Green with a stand  of 40 in overs after they had lost five wickets for 121  in 23 overs chasing 160 to win.  Marnus Labuschange top scored with  39.

It took Australia 64 minutes on the final morning to take the last two England wickets as Englad added 40 runs in 14 overs.  Bethel turned the first ball with the new ball from  Starc  off his legs for a couple to bring up his 150 from 243 balls with 16  fours. The Aussies thought they had him when Boland jagged one back  at him and Bethell was given out.  Bethell reviewed it and the replay showed it to be going over.

He  was eventually out on 154 when he top edged a late cut off Starc and Carey took a easy catch. His innings came from 265 balls and included 16 fours.

Australia lost their last review when they thought Matthew Potts had feathered Boland to Carey but the replay showed that he hadn’t got close to it.  Potts ended the over by hitting two consecutive fours.

Last man Tongue pushed Starc to Labuschagne.  On Wednesday night Bethell said: “If we get a lead of 180 to 190 you never know,” England’s lead was 159.

England lost an early review in the first over when umpire Ahsan Raja singled a leg bye when he should have called dead ball. Luckily for Travis Head and Australia the replay showed he had  got a bottom edge to it.

They lost their second review when they thought Jake Weatherald had top edged Carse to Jamie Smith but after numerous reviews their was no conclusive evidence to over throw the not out decision which lead to Ben Stokes talking to umpire Ahsan Raja. After the next ball words were exchanged between Weatherald and Carse, then Harry  Brook and Zak Crawley exchanged words with Weatherald.

In the eigth over Bethell was brought into the attack with his slow left arm spinners but his introduction into the attack lead to an increase in the run rate as Weatherald and Head raced to 57 in the 10th over.

But Head got a bit carried away and wanted to finish the match before lunch and he top edged a pull off Tongue and Carse running around from mid-on took the catch.

On 33 Weatherald gave a hard low return chance to Will Jacks which he he couldn’t hold on to. But he was soon joining Head back in the hutch when a short ball from Tongue had him in two minds whether to leave  it or hook it.  The ball took his top edge and flew to fine leg where Potts ran in taking the catch as he dived forward.

Labuschange took a couple of paces down the pitch and drove him over mid-wicket for a six.  On 20 he edged a drive off Tongue and the ball flew to Bethell at gully.  Despite getting both hands to the ball above his head Bethell couldn’t get the ball to stick.  

Labuschange smashed Jacks to the extra cover boundary for  his second boundary of the over.  He drove Joe Root’s first ball into the attack to wide mid-off  and set off like a mad man but Carey didn’t respond and Labuschange couldn’t beat Potts’ throw  to Jamie Smith.

Steve Smith drove Tongue to the extra cover boundary.  But he was beaten by one that turned by Jacks and clipped his leg stump.

A comedy of errors between the Carey,Green when they both  nearly at the same end and England’s fielders when they threw at the wrong end got Australia’s target below 20.

Green guided Carse to the third man boundary to Australia’s target to below 10. A couple of balls later he repeated the shot with the same result.

Usman Khawaja,who  led the Australian team out before the start of his final day asTest player, was given a standing ovation as he came out to bat and a guard of honour by the England team. He swept Jacks to the fine leg boundary to get off the mark. Two balls later he edged Jacks just wide off Stokes,at slip, for a couple.  His final Test innings ended when he played outside one from Tongue and was bowled. As Usman Khawaja left the field he waved goodbye to the crowd and kissed the turf.

The Test was watched by a total attendance of 211,032 bringing the total attendance for  the series to 859,580 the third highest total for a series in Australia.

SCORECARD

The Richie Benaud fan club’s final appearance at SCG 2010-2025