Australia vs England, Ashes Fifth Test Day One live from the SCG
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow lost their wickets in the final two overs of day one at the SCG to leave Australia on top.
Thanks for joining us for our live coverage of the final Test in the Australia v England Ashes series live from the Sydney Cricket Ground. COme back tomorrow from 10am for all the live action on day two.
7.08pm: Aussies end day one on a high
The late dismissals of England captain Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow have left Australian on top in the fifth Ashes Test.
A super catch from Mitch Marsh late in the day and Joe Root can't believe it! https://t.co/vhFwlbdpM8 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/B16jMP8MJy
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 4, 2018
Root was furious after falling for 83 in another example of England’s leader failing to convert half-centuries to centuries. He lost his wicket to Mitchell Starc just eight minutes before stumps. Bairstow then departed for five right on stumps. Both late wickets fell to the second new ball as England reached 5-233.
Batting first after a two-hour rain delay in Sydney this morning, Root and Dawid Malan (55no) put on a century partnership. Malan was fortunate to survive a run-out chance in the final session. He would have been dismissed but Australia’s Mitchell Marsh threw the ball to the wrong end. Pat Cummins was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2-44 from 17 overs in his first Test match at the SCG. Usman Khawaja was forced from the field after falling awkwardly on a knee but he returned quickly enough and appeared unaffected. The other batsmen dismissed were Alastair Cook for 39, Mark Stoneman for 24 and James Vince for 25.
7.01pm: WICKET: Bairstow falls as well
And there’s another one Jonny Bairstow fails to survuive the last over. Out driving at a Josh Hazlewood delivery he edges it and Tim Paine duly takes the catch. Bairstow out for 5 - England now 5-233 at the end of day one.
6.50pm: WICKET: Root fails to convert yet again
And just like that Joe Root is gone. Australia take the new ball. Root hits Starc for four, nearly chops one on next ball then whips one off his pads to a diving Mitchell Marsh at square leg. The England skipper departs for 83 and if Shane Watso n was once considered the man not to convert Root is the new Watto. He’s now made 36 half tons and just 13 centuries. England are 4-228.
6.35pm: Malan makes another 50
Dawid Malan starts to smack Mitchell Starc around, using the pace opf the ball to break the shackles and just like that the England batsmen has his fourth 50 of the series. He made 56 in the first Test in Brisbane. A century of 140 in Perth and backed that up with 54 in the second dig and is now past the half century in Sydney. Pretty good series for the man from Roehampton.
Another important innings from @dmalan29! ðŸ‘
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 4, 2018
Follow: https://t.co/eAouhIAAk5 #ashes pic.twitter.com/1vweFkPSgY
6.18pm: England crawl to 200
Ever so slowly and with Joe Root a nervous but happy hooker England have made their way to 3-200. Root skied a hook shot to get them to 198 off the bowling of Pat Cummins but the ball fell safely between fielders. The third 50 has taken them 114 deliveries to get to as Root and Dawid Malan struggle to get the Australian bowlers away but plod on. Root is on 69 and Malan 41.
5.31pm: Malan gets a life
The England No.5 edges one off the bowling of Nathan Lyon but the ball evades Tim Paine behind the stumps and Steve Smith grasses a tough chance at first slip with Malan on 36 runs. See if that hurts the Aussies later on.
A chances goes begging! Malan edges Lyon to first slip but it beats Smith https://t.co/3zmDmdbA4S #Ashes pic.twitter.com/SJY0DstSth
— FOX SPORTS Cricket (@FOXCricketLive) January 4, 2018
5.11pm: Khawaja hobbled?
Australia’s Usman Khawaja has hobbled off the SCG after a fielding mishap inured his knee. It does not appear overly serious - Khawaja walked unassisted from one end of the ground to the other to be checked by medical staff in the dressing room. Khawaja attempted to slide to save a boundary but his right knee took a divot from the outfield turf and he fell awkwardly. He departed the field as drinks were being taken. England was 3-160 at the final drinks break with captain Joe Root on 42 and Dawid Malan on 28.
4.30pm: Crowd underwhelmed
Day one of the fifth Ashes Test has become spectacularly unspectacular. Australia has bowled proficiently and taken three wickets. Better than nothing, but still not a lot. England has batted solidly and made 123 runs with two hours to go before stumps. Not a disaster, but nothing too dominant. In a match that has no bearing on the result of the series - Australia will win the Ashes 3-0, 3-1 or 4-0 - the day’s play and the crowd atmosphere is a little muted.
England’s unbeaten batsmen are captain Joe Root on 22, and Dawid Malan on 16. Pat Cummins has been the pick of the Australian bowlers with two wickets.
3.59pm: To a tea
Josh Hazlewood has captured the all-important scalp of Alastair Cook, helping reduce England to 3-122 at tea on day one of the fifth Ashes Test. Cook, who carried his bat and scored a record-breaking 244 not out during the drawn dead rubber at the MCG, continued to frustrate Australia at the SCG.
The former skipper started cautiously after Joe Root opted to bat first in the series finale, the start of which was delayed until 12.40pm (local time) because of rain.
Cook was undone on 39 after spending over two hours at the crease. Hazlewood’s animated lbw appeal was turned down but Steve Smith successfully reviewed the not-out verdict.
Pat Cummins claimed the other two wickets to fall, with Mark Stoneman (24) and James Vince (25) both caught behind.
Joe Root and Dawid Malan were both unbeaten on 16 at tea.
Smith threw the ball to Nathan Lyon after 15 overs. The offspinner owned the Randwick end from that point on, generating impressive turn and bounce while delivering a 14-over spell that cost 34 runs.
Mitchell Starc, who returned from a bruised heel that forced him to miss the fourth Test, was well down on pace.
The opening session of the game was entirely washed out, with an early lunch break taken at noon. — AAP
3.47pm: Who’s watching?
A sell-out crowd of 45,000 spectators watching the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney is, in turn, being closely observed by a team of security professionals. For the first time, the security team at the SCG is utilising 820 new cameras equipped with facial recognition technology to scrutinise the crowd for safety threats.
The cameras, which feed into an upgraded operations centre inside the ground, allow security personnel to monitor patrons as they approach the ground and while they’re inside the venue, an SCG Trust spokesman said. The $3.5 million upgrade to security includes a new video analytics system which can detect and zoom in on unattended bags, suspicious vehicles and strange behaviour. -AAP
3.11pm: Wicket
Alastair Cook is gone lbw after a Steve Smith review
Cook is on his way after the Aussies went upstairs to the @Specsavers DRS! https://t.co/vhFwlbdpM8 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/UMieikTP1R
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 4, 2018
3.01pm: Sad sight of empty seats
There’s a sobering sight at the SCG ... three empty seats that were to be taken by Richard Cousins and his two sons, William and Edward, before they lost their lives in the New Year’s Eve seaplane crash on the Hawkesbury River. Cousins was the leading British CEO who was basing his holidays with his sons, and his fiancee Emma Bowden and her 11-year-old daughter Heather, who also died, around the Ashes Tests.
It’s been confirmed to The Australian that three seats and tickets had been assigned to Cousins and his sons ... and those seats have remained empty today in the MA Noble Stand.
2.46pm: Wicket
James Vince is out for 25, caught Tim Paine, bowled Pat Cummins
2.13pm Cook caught behind appeal half-baked
Mitchell Starc is back into the attack, and there’s a shout for caught behind for Alistair Cook. The appeal is half-hearted at best, and he clearly didn’t get any bat on it.
2.03pm Myth of spin?
According to cricket lore and legend, the SCG is a spinner’s paradise. But former Test tweaker Gavin Robertson has a different spin on things.
“I don’t think it’s spun for 15 years,” Robertson told Fox Sports News. “It’s got this reputation from the 80s and the 90s into maybe the early 2000s.
“Early 2000s I would say onwards I have not seen it be like it used to be. I don’t know if it’s worth playing two spinners just because it’s Sydney if that’s the thought.”
1.53pm A change of pace
Steve Smith turns to the wristy spin of Nathan Lyon in the search for a second English scalp. The Poms take three from his first over.
1.50pm Up close with the wicket
Looks a good wicket @scg I think with some sunshine throughout the 5 days we are going to see plenty of spin. #oldscg ðŸâœŒï¸ pic.twitter.com/wiQxbWAfWT
— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) January 3, 2018
1.39pm Cummins strikes, Stoneman walks
Wicket! Cummins makes the breakthrough with the fifth ball of his third over, stopping the runaway train that was Mark Stoneman in his tracks.
Stoneman was off to a flyer, making 24 from as many balls, with four boundaries, before Cummins enticed an outside edge and Australia wicketkeeper Tim Paine took the most comfortable of catches. England is 1-35 after an hour of play of a rain-affected day.
1.22pm Starc most likely to succeed?
According to Channel 9 viewers, Starc is most likely to get the early breakthrough, but not while it’s the Hazlewood and Cummins show. Both are looking dangerous, and Hazlewood is proving very frugal to boot.
1.16pm Spice from Cummins
Pat Cummins has bowled his first deliveries in Test cricket at the SCG. The Sydney-born speedster made his Test debut as an 18-year-old, six years ago, but a litany of serious injuries and stints in rehab have meant he’s never played a Test at his home ground ... until now.
He’s bowled sharply as the first-change bowler from the Randwick End but Australia hasn’t made an early breakthrough after England’s Joe Root won the toss and chose to bat.
It looked to be perfectly overcast fast-bowling conditions when play began at 12.40pm, after morning rain, but the SCG is now bathed in sunshine, with Alastair Cook (3no)
and Mark Stoneman (19no) taking England to 0-24 after eight overs.
1.13pm Legends on parade
The cricket tragics and armchair statisticians are out in force on Twitter.
@ShaneWarne Ashes Fifth Test SCG.
— Bruce Watt (@SamMaxEmBoo) January 4, 2018
An interesting observation. In attendance at the SCG today we have the two highest wicket takers ever for both Australia and England (Warne, McGrath, Anderson, Broad) and the highest ever rungetters for each side (Cook and Ponting).
1.02pm Afternoon session extended
An update on session times for today: 12.40pm to 3.40pm local time; and 4pm to 6.30pm for the third session, which adds an extra hour. If required, an additional 30 minutes can be added to get through 83 overs for the day. Starc and Hazlewood are getting plenty out of the pitch in the opening spell. Starc had a big shout for LBW turned down, but it was clearly going down leg side.
12.40pm Starc contrast
Mitchell Starc gets proceedings underway with a cracking yorker. It was ‘only’ 138km/h but the bounce and pace of the wicket will give the pacemen succour.
12.38pm Here comes the sun
Streaks of blue are showing through the leaden clouds hanging over the SCG. The experts are expecting the ball to zip around a bit, with a possibility of reverse swing later on, as the sun begins to shine and moisture is sucked skywards from the pitch.
12.30pm Pup pontificates as Poms pad up
“You don’t hear the noise ... you block everything out and just focus on the job you have to do.” Michael Clarke is out in the middle with the Channel 9 commentary team, waxing lyrical about his approach when he strode out into the middle to face the (chin) music.
12.12pm A good toss to lose?
The on-again, off-again, on-again covers are off again. But honours will be shared in the opening session of the fifth Ashes, for not a ball will be bowled. An early lunch was called for 12pm.
It was a quick lunch from rival captains Steve Smith and Joe Root, who had to put down their knives and forks and conduct the toss at 12.10pm. Root won the toss and chose to bat. Brave man. Play will commence at 12.40pm if there’s not more rain and the on-again, off-again, on-again covers stay off.
The stumps have been put in place, which is a grand sign that the groundkeepers have no poor weather on their radars. Looks a good day for fast bowlers. It might have been a good toss for Smith to lose.
12.05pm A cracking contest looms
With the toss moments away, former captain turned commentator Michael Clarke looks at the pitch and his eyes light up. He confidently predicts a real battle between bat and ball, unlike upon Melbourne’s now notoriously lifeless drop-in pitch where batsmen revelled and bowlers toiled. The patches of green at the SCG will give the pacemen heart early on, but the heat map shows a fairly dry wicket that is almost certain to start to turn as the match unfolds.
11.51am Cracks are showing
The covers are off, revealing a wicket with the merest hint of green in a few patches, and some cracks already apparent. Which might cheer English hearts following the decision to play two spinners for the fifth and final Test of the Ashes.
11.42am Covers come off
A start cannot be far away as the covers come off at the SCG as the rain finally relents. The toss will be 12.10am, play is now due to start at 12.40am and there will be no lunch break.
11.30am Rain keeps falling down
It’s still drizzling at the SCG with the toss set down for 11.30am. Depending on weather that so far can’t be depended on. The covers are still across the pitch. The grandstands are about 2/3 full. You’d be tempted to bowl on a day like this — an overcast day that feels like the first morning at an English ground. Australian paceman Mitchell Starc will like to get his hands on the ball in these conditions. But so will England’s James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
11.17am Coin toss delayed again
Wet weather continues to delay the start of the fifth Ashes Test, with the heavy covers back on at the SCG. Play was set to start at 10.30am (local time) on Thursday but steady drizzle forced officials to delay the coin toss.
The rain stopped temporarily and umpires optimistically scheduled the toss for 11am. Players from England and Australia started to warm up but the toss has been delayed again because of further showers.
The forecast is much better for the rest of the game. — AAP
Peter Lalor 11.09am Maxwell needs to get smart
As rain continues to delay the coin toss, it’s worth considering the upcoming one day series. Selectors say Glenn Maxwell must score more runs; Steve Smith says he must show more application in the nets — the writing on the wall suggests that if the talented all-rounder fails to heed these messages he will be overlooked for the 2019 World Cup squad.
Maxwell was left out of the ODI squad for the matches against England that follow the Test series. The selectors have opted for short-order hitter Chris Lynn over the Victorian.
It’s a sobering and blunt performance review for the highly talented all-rounder. But it is not the first time he has been omitted for the same reasons. It might, however, be his last chance to change. Read the full story here.
10.27am: Rain delays coin toss
The weather is set to delay the start of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney after light rain pushed back the coin toss.
Covers remained on the wet SCG pitch half an hour before the designated start time of 10.30am on Thursday, but the weather is expected to be clear for the first day of the final Test of the series.
Australia welcome back quick Mitchell Starc at the expense of seamer Jackson Bird while legspinner Mason Crane is expected to debut for England for the injured Chris Woakes.
UPDATE: The coin toss in Sydney has been delayed due to rain. We'll keep you posted when we know more #Ashes
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 3, 2018
9.55am: Veterans up for the challenge
England captain Joe Root says his veteran pacemen James Anderson and Stuart Broad are up for the challenge of having a potentially heavier workload in the final Ashes Test.
With Root opting to replace the injured Chris Woakes with spinner and Test debutant Mason Crane, England will field just three quicks for the first time in the five-match series.
The third paceman for the match starting at the SCG today is Test tyro Tom Curran, who made his debut in the last match at the MCG. In that game 35-year-old Anderson toiled for 59 overs and Broad for 52 on a lifeless pitch rated as poor by the ICC. -AAP
Gideon Haigh 9.51am: Vale the cranky craftsman
Australians never really warmed to England quick James Anderson, but they should take a moment this week to say a respectful farewell. Read Gideon Haigh’s column here.
Peter Lalor 9.32am: Smith after Bradman’s record
Steve Smith has the chance to equal and possibly pass Don Bradman’s Australian Ashes batting record in the Test starting in Sydney today.
The skipper has three centuries in the series, only Bradman (4 in 1930), Wally Hammond (4 in 1928-29) and Herb Sutcliffe (4 in 1924-25) have ever done better. Read the full story here.
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