England restored some pride with their fourth Test win in Melbourne and will aim to make the Ashes 3-2 when they face Australia for the final time in Sydney
England aim to end a tough Ashes tour of Australia with victory in the fifth Test, which starts at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday night UK time.
After losing the first three matches of the series, England ended Australia’s hopes of a 5-0 clean sweep with a dramatic four-wicket win in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
That match, like the first game in Perth, ended inside two days, so cricket fans are hoping for more sustained entertainment in Sydney.
Both teams will field depleted bowling attacks as Gus Atkinson has joined Mark Wood and Jofra Archer on the sidelines for England and the Aussies are missing captain Pat Cummins, spinner Nathan Lyon and paceman Josh Hazlewood.
Australia are 3/5 to complete a 4-1 series victory, while England are 2/1 to sign off with a 3-2 defeat and the draw is a 7/1 chance at the SCG.
Selections
Zak Crawley to be England top first-innings batter @ 21/4
Marnus Labuschagne to score under 31.5 first-innings runs @ 17/20
Josh Tongue to take 5+ wickets in the match @ 5/4
Resurgent opener Crawley should shine in Sydney
Zak Crawley comes into the final Ashes Test as England’s leading batter, albeit with a modest tally of 256 runs from eight innings.
However, it is worth remembering that Crawley was dismissed for a duck in his first two innings of the series in Perth and he can continue his resurgence at the SCG.
The opener made 76 and 44 in Brisbane and nine and 85 in Adelaide, while his breezy 37 off 48 balls gave England a fast start in their fourth-innings run-chase at the MCG.
Crawley’s straight six off Michael Neser was a crucial blow as England closed in on a first Test win in Australia since 2011 and he may well shine in Sydney, where he scored a second-innings 77 in the final game of the 2021-22 Ashes.
Tip 1: Zak Crawley to be England top first-innings batter @ 21/4
Under-pressure Labuschagne set for another low score
Marnus Labuschagne forced his way back into the Australia team after a prolific start to the domestic season but he is again under pressure at number three.
Labuschagne peeled off a couple of bright half-centuries in the first two Tests but his other six scores in this series were nine, three, 19, 13, six and eight.
He appears to have gone into his shell, hitting only four boundaries from the 122 balls he has faced in the last two Tests.
Another awkward pitch is expected in Sydney, where Labuschagne was out for two and six in the 2025 Test against India, and he should be backed to score under 31.5 first-innings runs.
Tip 2: Marnus Labuschagne to score under 31.5 first-innings runs @ 17/20
Take Tongue to torment Aussies again
Labuschagne was caught at slip by Joe Root off the bowling of Josh Tongue in both innings in Melbourne and Tongue needs to maintain his fine form in the fifth Test.
England have already lost three pacemen to injury, while Brydon Carse must be feeling the strain after playing the first four matches of the series.
Tongue came in for the third and fourth Tests and made an instant impact. He picked up five wickets at the Adelaide Oval and was named player of the match at the MCG for his figures of 5-45 and 2-44.
The 28-year-old has had an excellent start to his Test career, taking five or more wickets in six of his first eight games, and that trend may well continue in the Ashes finale.
Tip 3: Josh Tongue to take 5+ wickets in the match @ 5/4
