Overview
- Australia, already 3–1 up, kept the same 15 for the SCG, with Steve Smith to captain and Pat Cummins rested for workload management.
- Off-spinner Todd Murphy remains in the squad with Nathan Lyon unavailable, leaving a specialist spin option on the table for Sydney.
- Usman Khawaja will front the media at the SCG on Friday to discuss his playing future, according to reports confirmed by the Sydney Morning Herald.
- Final XI decisions are unresolved, including whether Beau Webster replaces Cameron Green and whether conditions warrant selecting Murphy.
- A green-tinged SCG pitch and a wet day-one forecast heighten scrutiny after the ICC rated the two-day MCG Test unsatisfactory, as Michael Vaughan calls Melbourne a 'lottery' and urges England to deliver in Sydney.