Australia will face England in the final match of The Ashes. The AUS vs ENG Match Preview provides today’s match details for the 5th Test of The Ashes 2026.
AUS vs ENG Match Preview- 5th Test, The Ashes 2026:
Date and Venue:
The AUS vs ENG match will be played from January 4-8 at Sydney Cricket Ground, Melbourne. The game will start at 5:00 AM IST.
Squads:
Australia
Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
England
Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue
AUS vs ENG Key battles:
Steve Smith vs Josh Tongue
Steve Smith would like to lead from the front, being the captain of the side, and get his team over the line.
Smith will have to tackle the bowling of Josh Tongue, who was named the player of the match at MCG, and would hope to put on another strong performance in the upcoming match.
Travis Head vs Ben Stokes
Australia’s new Test opener, Travis Head, will be entrusted to get the home team off to a good start while playing in an aggressive manner at the top of the order.
Head will take on Ben Stokes, who will be banked upon to bowl a decisive spell with England short on resources as far as the team’s fast bowling is concerned.
Joe Root vs Scott Boland
Joe Root would wish to make a significant contribution in the final game of what has been a tour comprising mixed performances with his bat.
Root will be up against Scott Boland, who will look to pick wickets at crucial moments for the Aussies.
Ben Stokes vs Mitchell Starc
Ben Stokes would be itching to get a big score under his belt, which he hasn’t been able to do despite getting off to good starts in a few innings.
Stokes will face the challenge of Mitchell Starc, who has been the pick of the bowlers across the two teams in this series and would want to carry the same form in the next game in order to bowl his team to a win.
AUS vs ENG Key Players:
AUS – Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland
ENG– Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse
AUS vs ENG Weather Report:
There is a 65% chance of rain during day two of the game in Sydney, with a maximum temperature of 33°C and a minimum of 20°C.
Conclusion
Australia will aim to bounce back in the final match of the Ashes, having lost the Boxing Day Test by four wickets.
England, on the other hand, would look to build on their first Test win in this part of the world since 2011 and end the tour with a win.