Yorkshire duo helps England form strong foundation despite delays

• What time do The Ashes start in my state?
• Listen Live: Every ball of the Ashes right here
• England won the toss and elected to bat
• The SCG crowd gave a very moving applause to the heroes of the Bondi Terror attacks
• Australia took three wickets in the space of six overs to leave England 3/57
• Joe Root and Harry Brook have formed a formidable partnership having both made 50s
• Play has been abandoned as a result of lack of light and rain present

MATCH RECAP

While a lack of light and rain may have seen action on Day 1 come to an earlier conclusion, it certainly didn't stop England, who have made the most of the limited overs.

The Yorkshire duo of Joe Root and Harry Brook formed a strong and unbeaten 154-run partnership, which saw the visitors on 3/211 when play was abandoned.

It couldn't have come at a better time for England, with Brook having walked in after the side was 3/57 following Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Jacob Bethell all departing within the space of six overs.

But the two batters steadied the ship and kept the scoreboard ticking on a continual basis, which placed the Australian bowlers under pressure.

This would keep on until 2:55pm (local time) when play was delayed as a result of poor light, resulting in an extended tea.

However, play never returned with the rain once again setting in at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

While there was plenty of applause from the Barmy Army throughout the day for the partnership of Brook and Root, the largest would come before the match even got underway.

During the pre-match ceremony, both teams would give a guard of honour to some of the victims and responders during the Bondi Beach terror attack, which saw the crowd give a rousing cheer of applause.

The Sydney Test will continue tomorrow with the first ball being bowled at 10 am AEDT.

SEN will have live coverage of every ball bowled through that day's play.

5:00pm - Day 1 Called Off

Sydney weather has struck, and play has officially been called off for Day 1.

Play will start 30 minutes earlier on Day 2, kicking off at 10am AEDT.

England will resume on 3/211, with Joe Root (72) and Harry Brook (78) returning to the crease.

4:40pm - McGrath: England would be disappointed

While he has been commentating for the ABC this series, Glenn McGrath would pop into the SEN commentary box as part of his work with the McGrath Foundation for the Pink Test.

And the legendary fast bowler expressed the view that England would likely be disappointed by the wasting of an opportunity to win.

McGrath: "It's interesting, isn't it?"

"I think England came out here thinking this was their best opportunity ever."

"And then when they saw those teams on paper with no Hazlewood, no Cummins (for four Tests), no Lyon (for three Tests), no Smith for one Test."

"They would probably go home and be pretty disappointed with their performance here."

4:12pm - Why England need to play the long game for future Ashes win

While England will likely head home disappointed, having lost this series, Gerard Whateley feels that England should take some hope from the experience they have developed for a home series in 2027.

Whateley: "When Australia is at its most vulnerable, is when it has these makeshift teams and players that aren't quite going to have those (incredible) careers."

"So, they last for 15-20 Tests, and you lose series along the way."

"So, at a time when India would appear to be incredibly vulnerable at home, even if you know they'll rise to it, and then you have got England, who will be more seasoned.

"All the young players who have come here and the younger players than Australia will be more seasoned for this battle.

"And they'll go back into the conditions that suit them (in 2027).

"It's actually why they won't end the BazBall movement (at the end of this match) because they've got 18 months where they'll go, 'We can beat this Australian team in England, so let's build on what we've got rather than cause upheaval, and then there's two and a half years after that to work out what we can do next timne we come to Australia'."

"But if they cause upheaval, they won't be settled by the time this Ashes series (in 2027) comes around."

"And with not being able to nail down more than five places in the Australian team, England will go, we've got nine who will be there for it.

"I think you would play the longer game here and go, 'Yep, disappointed' and 3-2 would help, but I do think calmer heads rather than retribution."

3:58pm - Bharat: This summer has belonged to nobody

With no real standout performances during this Ashes series beyond Mitch Starc's efforts at the start of the series, Bharat Sundaresan has questioned who this summer has belonged to.

Sundaresan: "We've seen some exciting cricket here and there, but overall, it's been weird."

"Like, are England that bad? Like you see them bat today and you're going, 'Actually, you had that England and you didn't show us when it mattered?'"

"And are Australia that good? You look at this bowling attack, and you're going there is no Hazlewood, Cummins played one Test, Lyon mostly played one Test.

"The batting looks all over the place. Generally, you get to this point of an Ashes series where Australia has won, and you're singing songs about Mitchell Johnson (in 13/14) or last time around with Travis Head, Scott Boland, Pat Cummins and everybody else.

"It just feels like...I know Mitch Starc did have a great start to the series, and he still continues to take wickets, but it feels like this summer belongs to nobody.

3:42pm - Whateley: Selectors should have bitten the bullet on Cam Green

Cam Green's troubles with the ball throughout the series have only continued in the SCG.

Coming into the Test match, the Western Australian averaged 52 with the ball, resulting in plenty of pressure around his spot.

And with figures of 0/57 off eight overs, those calls will only intensify.

And this has led Gerard Whateley to think that the selection of Beau Webster was only to save face for Green.

Whateley: "You figure the decision was made to save him."

"I think selection integrity probably demanded that you switch Webster and Green for the lack of what Green has done this summer."

"So while some might frame it as they chose Webster over (Todd) Murphy, but I think they chose to retain Green rather than bite the bullet and have Murphy play."

3:30pm - Rain update

Having a look on the BOM's forecast, the rain looks set to hit.

And when it does, it's unlikely we'll get any play after it for today.

3:18pm - Katich: Root and Brook can put Australia away

Having now crossed over 150 runs between Harry Brook and Joe Root, this is proving to be a game-changing partnership.

And if they can continue when play resumes, then Simon Katich thinks they can really take the game away from Australia.

Katich: "England have got the chance to really put Australia away here, having won the toss."

"Whilst they found themselves in a spot of bother in that first session, with three quick wickets, these two have shown that these conditions have been beautiful for batting."

"It's an easy pace track, Australia have had a very one-dimensional bowling line-up by not picking a spinner."

3:09pm - LISTEN: Luke Bradnam and Trish Moloney from the McGrath Foundation

Earlier in the day, SEN's Tom Morris chatted with McGrath Foundation ambassadors/volunteers Luke Bradnam and Trish Moloney.

With this being the 18th Pink Test, the New Year Test in Sydney has now become synomous with the foundation and the work it does for those affected by breast cancer and now for all forms of cancer.

3:03pm - Delay goes into Tea

England 3/211 - Root 72, Brook 78

With the light delay being at close as it was to the end of the second session, we'll have an early Tea.

2:56pm - Delay in play

It's looks like we are off the field with the umpires deeming that there is not enough light to continue play.

2:50pm - Broad on Australia's tactics

England 3/208 - Root 70, Brook 77

Having placed some pressure on Brook with the short ball tactics, it appears that Steve Smith has changed his plan of attack towards the No. 5 batter which has left Stuart Broad surprised.

Broad: "Interesting tactic change (from Australia)."

"I thought they were just testing Brook's patience with the bouncer theory with everyone on the boundary."

"And Brook made a couple of mistakes. Yes, there were a couple of nice strikes, but Green is clearly out of rhythm.

"He's not holding length at all; he bowled too short and too wide, and they've gone back to a more regulation field."

England 3/208 - Root 70, Brook 77

2:40pm - England cross the 200 mark

England 3/200 - Root 68, Brook 71

The sky is starting to grow a bit darker with clouds slowly progressing from the west with the lights now being turned on.

But it hasn't stopped the runs coming with the visitors now crossing the 200 mark.

143 of those have come between the two batsmen currently occuping the crease.

2:34pm - Broad: England needed this partnership

England 3/194 - Root 67, Brook 66

It's been somewhat of a rarity in this series that any partnership has managed to cross over for triple digits.

And particularly for England, whose BazBall methods have often seen batters stay for a good time rather than a long time.

But with Harry Brook and Joe Root coming together to have now put 137 runs together, England looks more composed than they have all series.

Especially after being 3/57, Stuart Broad noted the effect it had on the game.

Broad: "It's pretty rosy for England at the moment."

"It did feel that England needed this partnership."

"Pre-lunch, it was looking a bit wobbly."

2:17pm - Should Australia deploy Webster as a spinner?

England 3/173 - Root 57, Brook 55

While Australia (or England for that matter) do not have a specialist spinner in their line-ups, they do still have options to introduce it.

For the hosts, one of those options could be Beau Webster, who can bowl both pace and off-spin.

So far, he has only bowled pace in his two overs, conceding 11 runs.

But Simon Katich and Adam Collins think that it might be worthwhile to try to offer something different to break up the Root/Brook partnership.

Collins: "Might be the kind of time in an innings where a spinner is useful."

Katich: "The question will be, does Webster bowl start bowling those if nothing happens in his second over?"

"It's looking pretty run of the mill."

2:02pm - Brook follows suit with a 50 of his own

England 3/162 - Root 51, Brook 51

Harry Brook has now followed suit with his partner out on the pitch, having raised the bat for his half-century.

He does so with a lovely shot past point from a bowl that was just slightly too wide from Beau Webster.

It's his 15th 50 for England and his second for the series.

He does have a great track record of continuing on having gone on to make 10 centuries in his Test career.

1:58pm - Root brings up 50

England 3/157 - Root 50, Brook 47

Joe Root is showing this Sydney crowd why the ICC deems him as the World's best Test batter at the moment.

The former captain has once again come to the rescue after his side got into some brief trouble halfway through the first session and has steadied the ship with Harry Brook with plenty of boundaries through the off side.

The two Yorkshiremen have now built a partnership of 100 and they look like they can go on for another 100.

1:42pm - Is Starc bowling slower than usual?

England 3/142 - Root 44, Brook 38

Now bowling his 10th over, Mitchell Starc has proven to be expensive in comparison with Ben Duckett, having really targeted him during the first session.

While he has now rebounded and eventually took the wicket of Duckett, Damien Fleming and Simon Katich both noted that his pace hasn't been as quick as in previous Tests this Ashes.

Fleming: "(Overall) pace is still good, isn't it?"

"There's no lack of pace, he (Starc) looks like he is short of a gallop."

"It is the Fifth Test, but there has been a big gap between Tests."

Katich: "And limited overs, there's (been) two 2-Day Tests where they have hardly bowled."

"I'm sure his workload would be well down on the previous Ashes series he's played in."

1:18pm - England living dangerously with near run out

England 3/122 - Root 32, Brook 30

In just the second over of the second session, England have shown their intent to keep the scoreboard ticking.

And it's nearly cost Joe Root his wicket.

With Harry Brook dropping one short and scampering through, Marnus Labuschagne almost got a direct hit, which would have seen the third umpire take a second look.

And Damien Fleming and Gerard Whateley reckon they might have done it differently if they had to do it all again.

Fleming: "They've been keen to pick up the singles, haven't they?"

Whateley: "I don't think they would take that single again."

1:11pm - Second session about to get underway

England 3/114 - Root 31, Brook 23

After some quick wickets, the combination of Joe Root and Harry Brook has steadied the flow of wickets.

If England is to set Australia a decent total, you get the sense this partnership needs to be one of triple digits.

Mitchell Starc is ready to bowl from the Paddington end as he looks to add to his wicket tally.

1:04pm - WATCH: SEN Cricket reacts to England's three wickets

Once again, England got out to another fast start before Australia quickly applied the clamps, three quick wickets within six overs.

See how the SEN Cricket team would react to the wickets below.

12:33pm - England 3/114 at the lunch break

England are 3/114 as we reach the lunch break.

Joe Root is England's top scorer so far with 31*, followed by Duckett for 27 and Harry Brook, who's up to 23*.

Mitchell Starc, Michael Neser, and Scott Boland all have the one wicket in what has become an even session after Australia dominated early.

11:40am - Bethell DISMISSED

England 3/57 - Root 0, Brook 0

Scott Boland and his amazing SCG record strikes again, this time claiming the wicket of Jacob Bethell for 10 off 23.

The ball swings away from Jacob Bethell slightly, an outside edge carrying through to Alex Carey, who is chasing the record for most catches by a wicketkeeper in an Ashes series.

"That was a really good piece of bowling from Scott Boland. I'm not sure what Jacob Bethell could do," Stuart Broad said on SEN Cricket.

It's been a great first session for Australia, with each of the three first-choice bowlers taking a wicket.

11:33am - Crawley OUT!

England 2/51 - Root 0, Bethell 4

Zac Crawley is GONE for 16, dismissed LBW by Michael Neser.

Brought back into the attack this over, Neser has struck with immediate effect, rattling Crawley on the pads.

The English opener reviewed the decision but there was no doubt with the third umpire and Crawley was sent walking after 29 balls.

11:06am - Duckett GONE!

England 1/35, Crawley 5, Bethell 0

Ben Duckett has been dismissed for 27 off a rapid 23 balls, with Mitch Starc striking again early in an England innings.

Duckett had five fours as he kicked off his innings early, but it continues a struggling series for Duckett, who has failed to go on and score above 35 in an innings.

"It's another lame dismissal for Ben Duckett," Fleming said on SEN Cricket.

11:00am - First bowling change for Aussies

Scott Boland comes in for his first overs, replacing Michael Neser after five overs.

Boland has 17 wickets at an average of eight at the SCG; a truly remarkable record.

"He's been phenomenal on Australian shores, but the way the wickets have been presented here in recent years, he's the one who has taken the toll," Whateley said on SEN Cricket.

10:15am - Smith: "Hate to do it!"

Steve Smith has spoken after opting not to select a specialist spinner at the SCG for the first time in 140 years.

Australia have gone against selecting a specialist spinner after reviewing the pitch, with 5mm of grass and a soft surface being the deciding factors.

"(I) hate to do it but if we keep producing wickets that we don't think are going to spin and seam is going to play a big part, you kind of get pushed into a corner," Smith said.

10:09am - England win toss as XI's confirmed

England have won the toss and elected to bat first.

Neither side will play a specialist spinner, after Steve Smith confirmed Australia's only change is Beau Webster coming in for Jhye Richardson, with Todd Murphy missing out.

Matthew Potts comes in for Gus Atkinson for England's only change, opting not to play Shoaib Bashir for any of this Ashes series.

9:48am - Webster likely into the XI

As Australia continues to warm-up, it's looking more and more likely Beau Webster will replace Jhye Richardson in the XI, meaning for the first time in 140 years at the SCG, Australia won't play a specialist spinner.

Webster's inclusion hasn't been confirmed as yet.

He last played for Australia in Jamaica in mid-2025 and will help solidify Australia's lower batting order.

9:45am - Travis Head confirms he is opening

While Steve Smith left the door open for a shuffling of the batting order, Travis Head has confirmed he will open in the final Test.

Head has been a revelation for the Aussies since moving up the order in the first Test, staking his spot for the entire series, initially keeping Usman Khawaja out of the side, and keeping him down at fifth after his return.

We joked, we walked up here and said I was back at 5 or 6 but no, I'll open," Head told SEN Cricket

"(I'm) ready to go again and feeling good.

"(I) slept actually quite well last night, considering that the little one's a little bit crook as well which is no good, but it's a good morning.

"I'm not sure what the wicket's going to do at the minute.

"Everyone's trying to read into it and looks like I had a bit of grass on it yesterday.

"I haven't looked at it yet this morning, so I'm happy to see blue skies as an opening better, so if we get a look at it today, it's an exciting day and looking forward to doing it."

9:36am - Debate around the XI continues

Steve Smith is yet to confirm Australia's XI and whether Todd Murphy will be selected hasn't become anymore obvious over the morning.

Michael Neser, Cameron Green, Beau Webster and Scott Boland have all marked their run ups, but Todd Murphy was only seen with a tape measure, providing no further clues as to whether he will play his first Test on home soil.

SEN's Gerard Whateley questioned what the future of spin looks like in Australia if Murphy isn't selected.

So, so can I just say what we've watched so far is Michael Neissa has marked his run up in the paint, Cam Green has.

"If we have got to a point where Australia is not going to select a spinner for the SCG test, this whole summer is going to provide a moment of pause," Whateley said on SEN Cricket.

"Because what are we doing with grounds in this country, if that's the case?

Damien Fleming also pondered the future of spin in Australia.

"We want to encourage spin bowling as well, but we've got to provide the pitches," Fleming said.

"Adelaide was superb, wasn't it? It turned on day one, the quicks could still move the ball and batters got 100, but you need at least two test matches, don't you?

"This needs to be one of them."

9am - Welcome to the live blog

A warm welcome to everyone joining us on the SEN.com.au blog for the first day of the Fifth Ashes Test here at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

While the series may have been wrapped up back in Adelaide, there is still plenty on the line for both teams as they look to finish on a high.

There's no sign this is a dead rubber, with plenty of anticipation around the SCG as the line to the members' area stretching back to Allianz Stadium at 4:50am.

For Australia, a win at the SCG to secure a 4-1 series win makes for the fairytale finish that Usman Khawaja has been working towards for 15 years after having made his debut on his former home ground against the same opponent.

While for the visitors, victory in the Harbour City would be the second time since 1978/79 that they have won back-to-back Test matches Down Under, which could go a long way for Brendon McCullum and his hopes of staying employed as England coach.

Either way, we are in for a belter of an Ashes finale.