7h agoMon 5 Jan 2026 at 9:01pmAshes live: Day three of the fifth Test at the SCG
1m agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 4:52am
96th over – Stokes goes again
He’s bowling to Steve Smith, with a slip and a gully in place, as well as two men out behind square in the deep.
Smith is pushing forward into the off-side for no run.
The Australian captain gets a bit of width and steers one through point for a single.
5m agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 4:49am
95th over – Tongue to bowl some more short stuff
With the field spread far and wide to Steve Smith, Josh Tongue has little option but to bang one in short.
Which he does.
Smith manipulates a single and the field returns to something resembling convention for Cam Green.
Two slips, a gully, backward point, cover, mids on and off, two men deep on the leg side boundary.
Lovely shot! Short and wide from Tongue – a really poor ball in any circumstance, and even poorer considering the field he’s working with. Green just steers it backwards of point and that’s a boundary to end the over.
12m agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 4:41am
94th over – Stokes goes again
Cam Green flat bats a full ball. He’s able to scamper through for a single.
The scores are now level.
Wayward from Stokes – down the legside and Smith is leaving it alone.
Two slips and a gully for Stokes.
Shot! Smith is forward and smacking Stokes over extra cover and to the boundary. Some real intent from the Australian captain.
Australia now leads this game.
Smith nurdles one through the off-side and scampers through for a single, but he’s in some discomfort doing so. It looks like he’s rolled his ankle. But after a fair bit of hopping around at the non-striker’s end, it looks like he’s shaken it off. We continue.
Green is beaten by a beauty outside off to end the over.
13m agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 4:40am
93rd over – Tongue from the Paddington End
He’s been the pick of the bowlers, Josh Tongue, and he gets a go in the second over after tea.
His first ball is a bouncer and Smith is ducking underneath it.
Smith glides one through point for a single.
Short and wide and Cam Green lashes one into the covers. It’s knocked down by the fielder and the batters run a single.
Tongue bowls a bouncer and Smith performs a little bit of interpretive dance. He’s falling and flailing and holding his bat in the air – but the ball flies over him harmlessly.
Smith is negotiating a couple more short balls to finish the over.
22m agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 4:32am
92nd over – Stokes opens up after tea
The England captain is at the top of his mark and will open the evening session from the Randwick End.
Cam Green is on strike.
The big allrounder is striding forward and driving the first ball of the session to extra cover for no run.
Australia is still seven runs behind, but boy, it certainly feels the hosts are well in front in this game.
A couple quick wickets would change that, though.
Green in shouldering arms outside off.
Into the pitch and Green is squared up a touch. The ball cannons off his body and into the off side.
Four! Deft little touch there from Green. He’s angling the bat and gliding one down to the third man boundary.
43m agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 4:11amTEA: Australia 6-377 (Smith 65, Green 8)
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Happy days for Australia, albeit after a few more wickets in that session.
Losing Travis Head early followed by Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey without getting out of the teens hurt, but the presence of Steve Smith set and seemingly ready to launch on his home deck where he averages over 60 warms the cockles of every Australian heart.
Cameron Green is also there. He has hit some good shots.
46m agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 4:08am
91st over – Josh Tongue is operating
His pace is a little down, starting at 132.8kp/h. Cameron Green lets it go outside off.
Turned to the leg side and another quick single. There’s a chance for an overthrow as the throw hits the batter’s stumps, but we don’t need Greeny scrambling for extras after he was run out in Melbourne.
A bit of extra bounce and it’s fended away by Smith for another single.
Green takes another single and Smith sees off the last ball of the session to make it to tea.
50m agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 4:03am
90th over – Here comes Potts again
Smith gets off strike as he works off his hip.
Green is defending and, this will shock you, he looks a little scratchy.
Four! Beautiful drive through cover for four. Of course that back foot is moving as he hits it, as it always is, but he’s middled that one.
And a good bit of strike rotation as he pushes to a deep mid-off.
53m agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 4:00am
89th over (cont) – Cameron Green is out in the middle
He’s under pressure in a big way.
And off the mark with a single off his hip.
One more for Smith, pushed through point. This 63 is his highest score of the series, eclipsing his 61 in the first dig at the Gabba.
There’s a half a shout as Green paws at one going past his hip, but the sound was a red herring. Nothing on it.
57m agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 3:57amAlex Carey. What are you doing?
He’s wandered straight into the leg slip plan as Josh Tongue spears down the leg side and Carey just clips it directly to Jacob Bethell.
That’s now three times in his past three Tests that he’s been out caught at leg slip.
57m agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 3:57am
89th over – In comes Josh Tongue
1h agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 3:54am
88th over – Drinks come out for both teams
Players in bright bibs emerge from both dugouts with drinks for their teammates. No, it’s not a drinks break. Yes, there are only 19 minutes to tea.
Another delay as Steve Smith complains that someone is walking around up in the corporates and none of the people around her are paying enough attention to tell her to sit down.
Four! Smith crushes a cover drive to the rope as Jamie Smith comes up to the stumps behind him. Who does he think he is? Alex Carey?
Smith leaves outside off and the ball really seams back in sharply. Well taken by Jamie Smith behind the stumps.
Potts gets one to stay low and that was perilously close to the off stump if Smith hadn’t dropped the bat on it.
Smashed away! You can’t be giving Steve Smith balls to cut in just the eighth over with this ball. It gets what it deserves.
1h agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 3:48am
87th over – Josh Tongue replaces Potts
Carey is facing up on 15 off seven balls.
He gets up the other end as Tongue angles in at him and the ball drops to the leg side for a tight single.
Smith plays a full-blooded drive but doesn’t get all of it and takes a single as Stokes misfields after the ball pops up awkwardly off the edge of the wicket block.
Another very tidy drive from Carey, but too straight and easily stopped at mid-on.
England goes up for caught behind as a ball seams back dramatically and flicks Carey’s back pocket.
1h agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 3:45am
86th over – Carse is pitching it up
He looks so much more dangerous when he’s getting it up there.
Smith gets off strike with a single.
Four! Too much width again and that’s too easy for Carey to crush through cover.
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BANG! He goes back to back, leaning back and drilling another one straight although a little uppishly past mid-on.
That takes Carey beyond 300 runs for the series.
The leg slip is in place.
A lovely drive from Carey, this time sending a half-volley back from whence it came and giving Ben Stokes another brutal chase down the ground. He gets there just in time to keep it to three.
1h agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 3:43am
Is this the last time Usman Khawaja bats in a Test?
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The Aussies will be hoping as much, because it means either an innings victory or a successful run chase for the fall of fewer than three wickets.
1h agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 3:38am
85th over – Potts is back
Beaten! Matthew Potts seams one past the outside edge of Steve Smith as he straightens up.
OK. Steve Smith is taking issue with the reflection off the sunglasses of Brydon Carse at mid-off.
“Carsey, can you just turn your sunglasses around?” Smith asks.
And he does it!
I must say, I reckon I’d be leaving them right where they were if I was him. It’s not like he’s shining a laser in his eyes or something. He’s allowed to have his sunnies on top of the peak of his cap.
Smith drives through cover and takes a single as the diving Zak Crawley can only slow it down.
1h agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 3:37am
84th over (cont) – Alex Carey is out there
A big LBW shout straight away, but this time the in-swinger is doing too much and starting on the wrong line.
Four! A disappointing release from Carse, giving Alex Carey the width to crush one through cover off the back foot.
1h agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 3:33amGot him! Usman Khawaja is out LBW and takes a review with him
Carse fires in another in-swinging full ball and cannons into the ankle of Khawaja on the full.
Ahsan Raza raises the finger and Khawaja reviews, but I must say that’s a shocking review. Absolutely plumb LBW, hitting the bottom third of middle and leg.
He must have known he didn’t edge that; maybe a bit of a lifetime achievement review.
He walks off the ground to a mighty ovation for potentially the last time.
1h agoTue 6 Jan 2026 at 3:32am
84th over – Carse continues
Ouch. Khawaja tries to hook away and lets out a loud “Oof” as he bottom edges into his guts.
Two more for Khawaja as drives through wide mid-on.
Carse goes for the wicket-taking ball. A gorgeous full in-swinger that Khawaja clips away for none.
