Match overview
Australia beat England by 5 wickets in the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 4 January 2026, completing a 4–1 series victory. England won the toss, elected to bat, and posted 384 in their first innings. A total well above the SCG's historical average of 224 across 162 Tests at the ground. Australia's response was decisive. They batted England out of the match with 567, a lead of 183, and despite a second-innings 342 from England setting a fourth-innings target of 160, Australia reached 161 for 5 to seal the win. TM Head was named Player of the Match. The result confirms Australia's superiority in this series, having now won four of the five Tests.
England's 384 in the first innings was creditable in isolation, particularly given the SCG historically rewards patient batting. But Australia's reply of 567 showed the gulf in depth between the two sides over five days of Test cricket. When England were bowled out for 342 in their second innings, Australia faced a modest chase but still dropped 5 wickets on what was clearly a wearing pitch by the final day.
Venue and conditions
The Sydney Cricket Ground has staged 162 Test matches. The average first-innings score is 224 and the average second-innings score is 199, which makes England's 384 and Australia's 567 both significantly above par. Pitches at the SCG tend to offer good carry early in the match before assisting spin as the surface breaks up across days four and five. That dynamic almost certainly influenced England's decision to bat first after winning the toss.
The ground's toss-winner-field rate sits at 37%, meaning teams winning the toss most often choose to bat rather than field. England followed that pattern here. The fourth-innings chase success rate across SCG Tests is 47%, so a target of 160 was by no means a formality. And Australia's five wickets lost in the chase reflects that. Scott Boland, whose SCG figures of 10 wickets for 76 runs in the January 2025 Test here demonstrate how effective he can be on this surface, and Nathan Lyon, who took 10 for 118 from 47.5 overs at the SCG in January 2020, are both figures around whom Australia's bowling plans at this ground are regularly built.
How to watch
For UK viewers, the Ashes series in Australia is broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket. Matches are available via a Sky subscription, through Sky Go on mobile and tablet, or on a NOW TV day or month pass for those without a full Sky package. Given the time difference between the UK and Sydney, the first session of each day's play typically begins in the early hours of the morning in the UK, so streaming via Sky Go or NOW TV tends to be the most practical option for most fans.
BBC Test Match Special provides live ball-by-ball radio commentary for all Ashes Tests on BBC Radio 4 Long Wave and through BBC Sounds online and on the app, with no subscription required. For fans unable to watch or listen live, BBC Sport and Sky Sports both offer over-by-over text commentary and video highlights packages throughout each day's play.
Recent form
England came into the Sydney Test having won only one of their previous five matches, that victory coming in the fourth Test at the MCG where they beat Australia by 4 wickets. Prior to that, they lost three successive Ashes Tests at the Gabba (by 8 wickets), Adelaide Oval (by 82 runs), and Perth Stadium (by 8 wickets). A defeat to New Zealand also featured in their five-match sequence. The form going into Sydney made an England recovery in this series unlikely, and so it proved.
Australia's recent record was considerably stronger. They won three consecutive Ashes Tests before losing the Melbourne match, and their only other blemish across the last five results was a no-result against India. Winning the series 4–1 at home, with the SCG providing the final confirmation, continues a pattern of Ashes dominance on home soil. England will now need to regroup ahead of the next series, with attention turning to how they approach the home Ashes when the sides next meet at a UK venue.
