Overview
- An unbroken 154-run stand lifted England from 57-3 to 211-3 at stumps, with Joe Root 72 not out and Harry Brook 78 not out.
- Ben Stokes chose to bat after winning the toss, but Ben Duckett (27), Zak Crawley (16) and Jacob Bethell (10) fell to Mitchell Starc, Michael Neser and Scott Boland.
- Bad light halted play before tea and rain prevented a resumption, leaving only 45 of the 90 scheduled overs completed.
- Australia omitted a specialist spinner at the SCG for the first time in nearly 140 years, recalling Beau Webster with Todd Murphy as 12th man, while England brought in Matthew Potts for injured Gus Atkinson.
- A sold-out crowd saw a pre-match tribute to victims and first responders from the Bondi attack under heightened security, with Australia leading the series 3-1.