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The players are about to take the field for an lengthy first session that will last two and a half hours. If Travis Head is batting at lunch, Australia will be strapped into the commanding position.

A Pink Outpouring of Support

It’s Jane McGrath Day at the SCG, with everybody wearing pink in support of the McGrath Foundation. The occasion commemorates the foundation's commitment to offering support for cancer patients.

A fan dressed in all pink arrives at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

A Heated Exchange Mars the Evening

It was hard to know whether it was a message to Australia or his own bowlers. Ben Stokes signed off a frustrating second evening in Sydney by swapping words out in the middle with Marnus Labuschagne. Appearing to respond to a comment by Labuschagne, Stokes was heard saying “shut the fuck up” as the over concluded. He then walked over and put an arm around his opponent’s shoulder to prolong the conversation.

As the umpires moved in, the England skipper departed after giving Labuschagne a squeeze. Under ICC regulations, the England captain could be reprimanded for “inappropriate physical contact”.

The Spin Debate Ignites Anew

When Shane Warne called his biography No Spin, it wasn’t a recommendation. Speaking for the dead is unacceptably presumptuous, but his record in life was loud and clear in backing his guild. Teams should always give themselves the option of spin bowling was his common contention.

Loyalty to a bowling type isn't the sole consideration. Former pace colleague Jason Gillespie had the same view observing the Sydney Test. “You need that variety,” he said on radio.

The hosts lacked that option. Instead, they had a trio of pace specialists, a couple of curiously employed all-rounders and some token part-time bowling. They had an England innings that was allowed to pull away, with substantial partnerships while Joe Root went on to his highest score in Australia of 160 and England their best total in the Ashes, 384.

It could have been advantageous to introduce a specialist spinner when Root and Harry Brook were coasting. It would have been helpful to save Mitchell Starc from bowling a fourth spell.

Setting the Scene for Day Three

Greetings and welcome to our updates of day three at the SCG. A crucial morning session awaits, but it’s impossible to escape the series finale atmosphere that has pervaded this Test so far.

We’re used to anticlimactic final Tests, particularly when England play in Australia. This feels flatter than the rest, mainly because there was such expectation. Two dead rubbers? It defies our predictions when we were imagining the 2025-26 Ashes.

There isn’t even the jeopardy of a potential whitewash; the outcome will be either 4-1 or 3-2 to Australia. Right here, right now, a 4-1 scoreline appears probable. An underwhelming display with the ball from England allowed Australia to charge to 166 for two, a deficit of 218, in only 34.1 overs. Travis Head is unbeaten on 91 from 87 balls; the nightwatchman Michael Neser has scored a single from fifteen deliveries.

Neser was struck nastily on the elbow just before the close, a reminder that this pitch – though generally batsman-friendly – is on the capricious side. If England, particularly Matthew Potts, find their length this morning they can force their way back into the game.

In the context of the match, this is a big first session. It’s just that the match isn’t as big as we hoped.