The final Test of this series may be another dead rubber but the tenacity shown by both teams at the MCG in the previous match proved that there is no such thing as letting up in an Ashes series. Australia may have already regained the famous urn but this Test will be just as keenly fought as any of the previous four.
Neither side should lack for motivation in Sydney, either. England will want to leave Australia with at least one Test win to show for their efforts while Australia have a tour of South Africa coming up and will want to head there having beaten the old enemy 4-0. Individuals on both sides - Cameron Bancroft and Usman Khawaja for Australia and Mark Stoneman and James Vince for England - are also fighting for their future. It all adds up to an intriguing contest.
England are in far better spirits this week after a vastly improved showing in Melbourne and the dreaded whitewash avoided. Yes, the MCG pitch was placid and devoid of any pace and bounce but the tourists played far better and a number of players, including Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad, returned to form. It was a performance of character and if they replicate that sort of showing at the SCG, a victory is not out of the question.
Australia will have other ideas, of course. Beating any side with Steve Smith in it at the moment continues to be one of the most difficult tasks in cricket given his outstanding, remarkable form with the bat. After more than 600 runs in the series, England still haven't found a way of getting Smith out. The home side's attack, which may comprise of four New South Welshman, should also find conditions far more to their liking at the SCG than was the case in Melbourne.
It is for those reasons that Australia probably enter the match, the tenth 'Pink Test' in aid of the McGrath Foundation, as favourites for victory. They also have a great recent record at the SCG, having lost just one of the last 16 Tests at the venue. That was to England in 2010/11 but Australia have won four of six matches in Sydney since then. Last year, they thumped Pakistan by 220 runs here.
Where: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
When: Thursday January 4, 2017
What to expect: Although the SCG has a reputation for a turning pitch - Australia played two spinners in the last two Tests here - the early indications are that this surface may be more helpful for the seamers which should mean one spinner only per team. The forecast is for hot but changeable weather with cloud and rain forecast at various stages of the match.
Teams:
Australia: Australia have left-arm spinner Ashton Agar in their squad but they are unlikely to play him given the expected conditions. Mitchell Starc returns to the side after recovering from a foot injury which caused him to miss the fourth Test and he will replace Jackson Bird who had such a tough time at the MCG.
Likely XI: David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.
England: England have handed leg-spinner Mason Crane his Test debut in place of Chris Woakes who has been ruled out on the eve of the game following a scan on his left side. This allows both horribly out-of-form Moeen Ali, and Tom Curran, who made his debut in the Boxing Day Test, to retain their spots in the eleven.
Like XI: Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Tom Curran, Mason Crane, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
What they said "I'm not worried about Mo. He's a fine player and I'm sure he'll play a lot more cricket for England. Over the summer he was one of the most instrumental parts of our team with bat and ball. He has struggled a bit on this trip but, technically I don't think there's a huge amount he needs to work on. When someone is going through a tough period it's important as a squad that you remember how valuable he has been and what he's capable of doing." - Joe Root
"It's been a good series personally for me but also the team as well. I think we've played some really good cricket, so it'd be great to end this series with a 4-0 win but we've still got a hard five days in front of us." - Steve Smith
