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The players are about to take the field for an extended first session scheduled to run for two and a half hours. If Travis Head is batting at lunch, Australia will be firmly in the commanding position.

A Sea of Pink for a Cause

It’s Jane McGrath Day at the SCG, with everybody wearing pink in support of the McGrath Foundation. The occasion commemorates the foundation's commitment to providing cancer support.

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 swapping words 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 then walked over and placed a hand on the batsman's shoulder to continue the exchange.

With the officials intervening, the England skipper departed after giving Labuschagne a squeeze. As per the ICC code of conduct, the England captain could be reprimanded for making improper physical contact.

Questions Over Australia's Bowling Tactics

Shane Warne's biography title 'No Spin' was not an endorsement of the tactic. Speaking for the dead is unacceptably presumptuous, but his record in life was loud and clear in backing his guild. Teams should always give themselves the option of spin bowling was his frequent argument.

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. Their attack featured a trio of pace specialists, a couple of curiously employed all-rounders and some token part-time bowling. They had an England innings that was allowed to pull away, with significant stands while Joe Root went on to his highest score in Australia of 160 and England their best total in the Ashes, 384.

It would have been helpful to introduce a specialist spinner when Root and Harry Brook were settling in. It would have been helpful to prevent Mitchell Starc from a taxing fourth spell.

Preamble: A Session of Significance

Hello and welcome to live coverage of day three at the SCG. There’s a big first session coming, but it’s impossible to escape the end-of-term feeling 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.

The stakes are further reduced of a possible series sweep; the outcome will be either 4-1 or 3-2 to Australia. At this moment, 4-1 looks more likely. An underwhelming display with the ball 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 scored a single from fifteen deliveries.

Neser was struck nastily on the elbow just before the close, a reminder that this pitch – 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.

Regarding this specific game, this is a big first session. It’s just that the match isn’t as big as we hoped.