AUSTRALIA 201-5 AT TEA ON DAY 1 OF FINAL ASHES TEST

England took four prize wickets before lunch and a fifth wicket in the next session, putting Australia in defensive mode.

Brad Haddin and Steve Smith combined for an unbeaten 104-run partnership after lunch to bring Australia back into the opening day of the fifth Ashes test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.Broad (2-42) found a thin edge off Bailey’s bat and Alastair Cook needed two attempts to grasp the catch at first slip.But that was the only highlight of the session for the visitors as Haddin and Smith stole the momentum.

Alastair Cook won his first toss of the series and sent Australia in to bat on a green-tinged Sydney Cricket Ground pitch. Ben Stokes then took two wickets and Jimmy Anderson one with the final ball before lunch after Australia had threatened to take control early. Stuart Broad contributed to the tally with two wickets.Anderson had Watson (43) given out lbw right on lunch, shortly after Stokes found the edge of Clarke’s bat to have the captain caught by Ian Bell at second slip for 10.Steven Smith is unbeaten on 48 and is joined by Brad Haddin who has scored 59.England made three changes for the fifth test with Scott Borthwick, Boyd Rankin and Gary Ballance all making their test debuts as the tourists attempt to avoid a repeat of the humiliating 5-0 whitewash from the 2006-07 Ashes series.

Ballance replaced Joe Root and will bat at No. 5, with Ian Bell moving up to No. 3. Leg-spinning all-rounder Borthwick replaced off-spinner Monty Panesar, while seamer Rankin came in for Tim Bresnan.Borthwick is the first leg-spinner to play for England since Ian Salisbury against Pakistan in 2000.Australia made no changes to the XI that convincingly won the first four tests and regained the Ashes, becoming just the fourth team to keep the same line-up in each match of a five-test series.Only England against Australia in 1884-85, South Africa against England in 1905-06 and West Indies against Australia in 1991 achieved the feat.Australia, fifth in the test rankings, can overtake England and move into third place with a 5-0 series win.