Big Picture
It feels like an eternity since the end of the Boxing Day Test with the early finish on the morning of day three plus a later start to the New Year's Test in Sydney only adding to the wait.
But there is not much to wait for as the SCG prepares to host yet another Ashes dead rubber. Sydney cricket fans have not seen an Ashes Test where the urn is still to be decided since 1994-95, although the 1998-99 and 2010-11 series could still have been drawn there.
Australia are in a luxurious position having secured the Ashes inside 12 days. They have lost Travis Head due to Covid-19 but there is a ready replacement in Usman Khawaja with 44 Tests experience and eight Test match centuries including one in the last Ashes Test played at the SCG four years ago. They have a bevy of fast bowlers to choose from and can now afford to look forward to their Asian tours mid-year although they have resisted the urge to give legspinner Mitchell Swepson a debut with the future in mind.
England's tour has gone from bad to worse with nine members of the support staff contracting Covid-19, including coach Chris Silverwood. As a result, their preparation in Sydney has been disjointed and challenging. Pressure remains on both Silverwood and captain Joe Root in terms of their leadership futures beyond this series while the ECB has taken fire from all quarters over the state of England's red-ball cricket.
Unlike some of the random Sydney selections England have made on the previous two tours, they are set to make one change with Stuart Broad returning to the side in place of Ollie Robinson while the batters get another chance to atone for a horror showing in Melbourne.
Form guide
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Australia WWWLD
England LLLLW
In the spotlight
Usman Khawaja has not played Test cricket since he was dropped during the 2019 Ashes series. On that occasion he was squeezed out due to Marnus Labuschagne's form and again in this series he was on the wrong end of a tight selection call at the Gabba. Now with a first-team player out with Covid-19, Khawaja has an opportunity, not unlike Labuschange's in 2019. He can create a real headache for Australia's selectors with a big score in Sydney and make a case to return to the side permanently.
Jonny Bairstow has played one Test fewer than Steven Smith and is on his third Ashes tour of Australia. Although he was rushed in without any red-ball match preparation for the MCG Test, on the most challenging surface of the tour to-date, he showed he has the class and skill to counter Australia's pacemen with 35 in the first innings. He then fell the wrong side of a 50-50 lbw call in the second. At 32, he still has a lot of time to add to his six Test hundreds and improve his overall Test record. England need him desperately to do so and a good batting pitch in Sydney is the perfect place to start.
Team news
Australia have made just the one forced change from the side that won by an innings in Melbourne with Khawaja replacing Head at No.5. Josh Hazlewood is not ready to return from his side strain and Jhye Richardson has also been held back due to his shin. Scott Boland retains his place after it was remarkably under threat despite his 6 for 7 in Melbourne.
Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Marcus Harris, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Usman Khawaja, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott Boland
Robinson has been left out after labouring a touch in Melbourne and Broad is his replacement having played just one Test in the series so far. England's batting remains the major issue but no changes have been made despite only two players reaching 30 across two innings in Melbourne.
England: 1 Haseeb Hameed, 2 Zak Crawley, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Joe Root, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Jos Buttler, 8 Mark Wood, 9 Jack Leach, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson
Pitch and conditions
The SCG now has the mantle of the flattest pitch in Australia after the MCG's rejuvenation in recent years. The pitch had plenty of grass on it a day out from the match but it is expected that curator Adam Lewis will shave some of it off prior to the first ball. The lone Sheffield Shield game played there this season produced a decent contest between bat and ball. The weather could well play a factor with showers forecast throughout the game.
Stats and trivia
England's record at the SCG is better than any other venue in Australia. They have won 22 times in 56 Tests and it is the site of their last Test victory in Australia in 2011.
Khawaja has been in and out of Australia's Test team several times since his debut in the fifth Ashes Test in 2010-11. But this is his longest stretch between Test appearances having last played in August 2019. His previous longest was two years and three months between August 2013 and November 2015.
Nathan Lyon averages 40.94 with the ball at the SCG, his least effective ground in Australia where he has played multiple Tests. Mitchell Starc averages 42.30 at the SCG, his worst ground in Australia by some margin.
England's average of 18.75 runs per dismissal is their worst average in any Ashes series of three or more matches played in Australia. England averaged 20.20 in 1882 but won that series 2-1.
Quotes
"We are very privileged to get the opportunity to represent our country and we've got two games here to show how much we care about that, and to make sure that we put in better performances than we have done so far in this tour. Those guys in that dressing room really care about it and we've got to sort of find a way of showing that now in the field."
Joe Root says his side is hurting and wants to show something in the last two Tests.
"Traditionally here over the last 10 years, it's been pretty hard work for the bowlers. I don't see a lot that's going to be different this week. There's a bit of grass, there's going to be a bit of weather. I don't think we're going to see it break up and turn or have that traditional kind of dusty spinning wicket from maybe 10-plus years ago. We'll wait and see but it looks really even at the moment."
Pat Cummins thinks the SCG pitch will be pretty good for batting.
