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The cricketers are preparing to step onto the pitch 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 spectators adorned in pink in solidarity with 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 signal sent to the Australians or his own bowlers. Ben Stokes signed off a frustrating second evening in Sydney by exchanging remarks out in the middle with Marnus Labuschagne. Appearing to respond to a comment by Labuschagne, Stokes was audibly telling “shut the fuck up” at the end of the over. He subsequently approached and put an arm around his opponent’s shoulder to prolong the conversation.

With the officials intervening, the England skipper departed following a brief pat. Under ICC regulations, Stokes potentially faces sanction for making improper physical contact.

The Spin Debate Ignites Anew

When Shane Warne called his biography No Spin, it wasn’t a recommendation. It's presumptuous to speak for the deceased, but his record in life was loud and clear in supporting fellow spinners. Teams should always give themselves the option of spin bowling was his common contention.

Nor is allegiance of style the only factor. Former pace colleague Jason Gillespie had the same view watching the fifth Ashes Test. “You need that variety,” he said on radio.

The hosts lacked that option. Instead, they had three specialist fast bowlers, two all-rounders used in puzzling roles 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 top score in Australia of 160 and England their highest score of the series, 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.

Preamble: A Session of Significance

Hello and welcome to live coverage 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 one seems particularly subdued, mainly because there was such expectation. Two inconsequential matches? It defies our predictions ahead of the 2025-26 Ashes.

There isn’t even the jeopardy of a potential whitewash; the series will end either 4-1 or 3-2 to Australia. At this moment, a 4-1 scoreline appears probable. A poor bowling performance from England allowed Australia to charge to 166 for two, trailing by 218 runs, in only 34.1 overs. Travis Head is 91 not out from 87 balls; the nightwatchman Michael Neser has 1 from 15.

Neser was struck nastily on the elbow just before the close, highlighting that the surface – though generally batsman-friendly – is on the capricious side. Should England's bowlers, namely Matthew Potts, discover the right 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.