Preview: Australia vs England - fifth Ashes test prediction, squads, series so far, start time, SCG pitch lowdown

Rivals Australia and England will head to Sydney for the fifth test of an eventful 2025-26 Ashes Series, with the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) set to turn pink once again to help raise money for the McGrath Foundation.

The hosts retained the Ashes in the first three tests before England hit back in Melbourne to avoid a series whitewash.

Fifth test preview

Ben Stokes's charges had high hopes when they arrived in Australia in November that they could be the first England side to win an Ashes series down under since 2010-11.

However, those aspirations quickly faded away and just left feelings of frustration and disappointment after the tourists lost the series at the earliest opportunity.

The series defeat has led to questions about the series preparation, the decision not to play a pink-ball game in the build-up to the second test, the well-publicised Noosa trip and the 'Bazball' philosophy.

Stokes's position seems relatively safe, but head coach Brendon McCullum and the Managing Director of England Men's Cricket, Rob Key, have seen their positions come under scrutiny, so they would have both been pleased to see the tourists claim a long-awaited win in a chaotic Boxing Day test.

Played on a seaming wicket, England put their aggressive approach to good use to chase down a challenging 175-run target in the fourth innings to clinch their first test win in Australia since Sydney 2011.

England, who drew their last test in Sydney in 2022, are now bidding to become just the second team since the end of the 1986-87 series to win two tests in an away Ashes series.

England have fared reasonably well in Ashes tests at the SCG compared to other venues in Australia, having recorded 22 wins, eight draws and 27 defeats at the historic ground.

Australia achieved their outright objective at the earliest opportunity, winning in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide to win a fourth consecutive Ashes series on home shores.

They will be particularly pleased with the fact that they have retained the Urn despite contending with injuries to the likes of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.

Steve Smith also missed the third test through illness, while Nathan Lyon was dropped for the second game and then picked up an injury in the final innings of the Adelaide test.

Impressively, Australia have won each of their last four red-ball series and are unbeaten in their last seven test series since losing in India in 2022-23 (D2).

With all that said, the hosts would have been disappointed to lose the opportunity to complete a series whitewash on an MCG rated 'unsatisfactory' by the ICC, while Cricket Australia are contending with the heavy financial impact of two two-day tests in the series.

Rather than finances, the playing squad will be keen to win the final test for their teammate Usman Khawaja, who has announced that he will retire from international cricket after the game in Sydney.

Australia are unbeaten in their last 14 tests at the SCG since losing to Andrew Strauss's England in 2011 - the game where Khawaja made his international debut.

Squad News

Smith will captain the hosts in the absence of Cummins, who missed the first two games through injury and has been rested for the final two after he took six wickets in the third test.

Hazlewood has not played a single test because of a hamstring problem, while Lyon underwent surgery after he sustained a series-ending injury in Adelaide.

Cameron Green has struggled for form throughout the series, potentially opening the door for Beau Webster to feature in Sydney.

Like Webster, off-spinner Todd Murphy will also be hoping to make his first appearance of the series.

Meanwhile, England are running out of fast bowlers after Gus Atkinson picked up a hamstring injury in Melbourne.

With Jofra Archer and Mark Wood already out injured, the door is now open for Durham's Matthew Potts to finally make an appearance in the series.

The indication is that England will stick with batter and part-time spinner Will Jacks at eight, meaning Shoaib Bashir is set to return home without playing a single game despite spending the best part of two years being built up for this very series.

Jacob Bethell, who replaced Ollie Pope for the fourth test, will keep his place at three after impressing with his 40 from 46 balls on a difficult pitch in the final innings in Melbourne.

England will return to Australia for a 125th anniversary test in 2027, but there is a possibility that Joe Root and Stokes are set to play in their final Ashes test down under, with fitness and age likely to be a barrier to their involvement in 2029-30.

Australia squad:

Steve Smith (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

England squad:

Ben Stokes (captain), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (vice-captain), Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Joe Root, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue

Series so far

First Test (Perth) - Australia won by eight wickets

England - 172 & 164

Australia - 132 & 205/2

Second Test (Brisbane) - Australia won by eight wickets

England - 334 & 241

Australia - 511 & 69/2

Third Test (Adelaide) - Australia won by 82 runs

Australia - 371 & 349

England - 286 & 352

Fourth Test (Melbourne) - England won by four wickets

Australia - 152 & 132

England - 110 & 178/6

When will the fifth Ashes Test start?

The fifth Test will start on Sunday at 10:30am local time. For UK viewers, the first ball will be bowled at 11:30pm on Saturday night.

SCG pitch update

It is probably safe to say that SCG curator Adam Lewis will be feeling the pressure to prepare a pitch that can make it to day four and five following the lottery of a surface that was produced in Melbourne.

Melbourne Cricket Club head curator Matt Page, who was criticised for leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, admitted to the media after the game that he was in a "state of shock" during the two-day test.

Current forecasts suggest that there could be rain on days three and four in Sydney, bringing a draw into play if it is a flat surface.

However, there should still be plenty of help for the bowlers if last year's test in Sydney is anything to go by. The game saw Australia beat India in three days as both sides failed to make it past 200 in their two innings.

We say: England to win

A strong case can be made that England finally looked ready for the series on day four of the third test, underlining the point that a lack of adequate preparation cost them so dearly in this series.

They were better in Melbourne, even if the pitch played a key role in the game, and we think they will produce another match-winning display to win the final test and return home with a feeling of what could have been.