Overview
- England listed Shoaib Bashir and Matthew Potts in a 12-player squad for the fifth Test with Gus Atkinson ruled out by a hamstring injury, with the final XI to be confirmed at the toss.
- Ben Stokes backed himself and head coach Brendon McCullum to lead England forward and told players not to get "individual or insular" as they seek a second straight win.
- Usman Khawaja, 39, said the Sydney match will be his last international game, while Steve Smith continues as Australia’s stand-in captain with Pat Cummins managing a back issue.
- Selection plans are being shaped by uncertainty over the SCG surface and a forecast for storms, increasing the chances of a specialist spinner featuring late in the match.
- India named an ODI squad to face New Zealand with Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer returning, Rishabh Pant retained, and Hardik Pandya managed for workload per the BCCI.