England have no margin for error as they enter must-win territory in the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, with Australia on the brink of a resounding series win.
A pair of largely dismal England performances in Perth and Brisbane led to eight-wicket defeats – the first of those inside two days –meaning Ben Stokes’s tourists trail 2-0, with the very real possibility of the series being over before even reaching the MCG for the traditional Boxing Day Test.
Pat Cummins has returned to captain Australia with Steve Smith ruled out of the Test through illness giving England a bit of hope ahead of the day’s play. That continued as Cummins won the toss on day one and decided to bat first only for Jofra Archer to strike early and claim the wicket of Jake Weatherald before Brydon Carse dismissed Travis Head to reduce the hosts to 33-2.
However, Usman Khawaja (41*) - who was dropped on four - and Marnus Labuschagne (19*) safely took the hosts to lunch with a partnership worth 61.
Follow all the live coverage of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide:
Read MoreIs England’s failing Ashes campaign the end for Brendon McCullum’s Bazball project?
England and Australia to pay tribute to Bondi shooting victims in third Ashes Test
Ashes 2025/26: Australia v England - third Test, day one
- England face Australia in the third Ashes Test in Adelaide | Live on TNT Sports
- It's a must-win encounter for England, who trail 2-0 in the best of five series
- WICKET! Labuschagne out with first ball after lunch (AUS 94-3)
- WICKET! Superb Crawley catch gets Head out (33-2)
- WICKET! Archer strikes to dismiss Weatherald (AUS 33-1)
- Steve Smith suffers last-minute illness and is ruled out for third Test
- Tributes paid to the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack ahead of play
Wicket! Green ct Carse b Archer 0
02:15 , Mike JonesAnother one!
Cameron Green has to trot back to the pavilion after chipping Archer to midwicket just like Labuschagne did.
That’s two wickets in three balls and England have turned this momentum around in the first over after lunch.
Here comes Alex Carey...
Afternoon session: Australia 94-2
02:12 , Mike JonesJofra Archer has the ball in hand...
.... and gets a wicket!
Marnus Labuschagne chips the ball to Brydon Carse at midwicket with the first ball after lunch!
He’s out for 19 and England are back in this.
Australia's morning
02:06 , Mike JonesSteven Finn and Greame Swann are out in Adelaide for the TNT Sports commentary team.
Both say that England did okay in the morning session but Australia had the better of things.
Will things change in the afternoon?
Lunch of day one
02:00 , Mike JonesA tough morning for England. Can they respond in the afternoon session?
Ben Stokes looks to past experience to spark Ashes fightback
01:50 , Mike JonesBen Stokes is hoping memories of England’s Ashes comeback in 2023 can help spark another fightback Down Under.
Wednesday’s third Test at the Adelaide Oval is the first of three must-win games for a touring side who sit 2-0 down and have no more room for error if they are to succeed in bringing the urn back home.
On paper, it looks close to being an impossible task. The only Test team to overturn such a predicament was Donald Bradman’s fabled side of 1936-37 and England are on a winless streak dating back 17 Tests and 15 years on Australian soil.
Ben Stokes looks to past experience to spark Ashes fightback
Steve Smith out of third Test as England bid to keep Ashes series alive
01:40 , Mike JonesAustralia batter Steve Smith has been ruled out of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide with illness.
Smith, who captained the hosts to victory in the first two Test matches, was named in his side’s XI on the eve of the match but withdrew on Wednesday morning.
His omission was confirmed by Pat Cummins, returning to lead the side after a back injury, with Usman Khawaja recalled in Smith’s absence.
Steve Smith out of third Test as England bid to keep Ashes series alive
Lunch! Australia 94-2
01:30 , Mike JonesWill Jacks is milked away for three singles before Khawaja smokes another sweep shot into the legside for four!
Seven more runs come from the over and the players head off for lunch.
Khawaja is 41* and Labuschagne 19*.
Australia 87-2
01:26 , Mike JonesFifty partnership!
Australia looked in a little trouble at 33-2 and with two new batters but they’ve played the situation perfectly.
Just one chance given, Brook dropping Khawaja, and an additional 54 runs scored.
Australia’s morning so far with one over left before lunch.
Khawaja is closing in on a fifty of his own too. He’s up to 36 from 51 balls.
Australia 82-2
01:21 , Mike JonesOh here we go. Will Jacks is coming on to bowl some spin.
He’s been selected ahead of Shoaib Bashir and is immediately eased into the legside by Khawaja for two.
Jacks needs to bring some control for England to give his seamers time to rest.
Khawaja pushes him down the ground for one.
A full toss to Labuschagne allows the batter to drive it through cover for three. Runs are flowing here.
Khawaja sweeps for four! 10 runs come from the over.
Australia 72-2
01:17 , Mike JonesStokes continues. The work seems harder now for England, the sun is shining and the temperature is up.
The batters are set with Khawaja in particular looking comfortable.
He works the ball through midwicket for another couple of runs.
There’s also three singles from the over and the runs are coming again for the hosts. This partnership is up to 39 now, and counting.
Australia 67-2
01:12 , Mike JonesThere’s around 20 minutes left in the first session of the day.
Another wicket for England and it’ll swing in their favour but if these two get through Australia will take the advantage from the morning’s play.
Tongue strays short and wide, Khawaja punishes him with a strong cut shot and scores another four.
Australia 62-2
01:08 , Mike JonesDispatched!
Stokes strays with a short ball and Khawaja is onto the ball quickly. He pulls it away for another boundary.
These two batters have weathered some pressure from England and batting will get easier as the day goes on.
Shout!
After Khawaja gets off strike Stokes traps Labuschagne on the pads and there’s a loud appeal from England. Nothing comes from the umpire and Stokes signals that he thinks there’s an inside edge.
He’s right and decided against a review.
Australia 57-2
01:03 , Mike JonesKhawaja has brushed off the drop and whips Tongue away for four runs through midwicket.
A confident stroke from him.
Khawaja was dropped on 4 by Brook but now he’s into double figures.
It’s been a patient partnership from these two batters.
Australia 52-2
00:59 , Mike JonesDropped catches cost England heavily in Brisbane and that Harry Brook spill could have consequences going forward.
Tongue has bowled well and deserved a wicket but it wasn’t to be.
Stokes needs to keep up the pressure with Labuschagne on strike.
He bowls six dots in a row and gets Labuschagne driving which is what England want to see. Fine work from the captain.
Australia 52-2
00:55 , Mike JonesFifty up for Australia.
Khawaja plays the ball with soft hands and threads it past gully for a couple to bring up the first fifty runs.
Dropped!
There’s the chance that the pressure was building towards. Khawaja goes for the drive and gets a thick edge.
The ball flies to Harry Brook at second slip. He leaps to the left and gets two hands to the ball but it flicks out and Australia have a reprieve.
Australia 48-2
00:50 , Mike JonesOver the first 14 overs, there hasn’t been much danger from the pitch.
It’s fair and bouncy and good for batting. That makes it even more important for England to maintain a tight line and length.
Stokes angles the ball into Labuschagne who leaves it alone. The next ball is too straight and Labuschagne flicks him past the wicketkeeper for four!
That’s a release for the batters.
And again. Labuschagne leans into a drive and times it perfectly. There’s only a small gap at extra cover and it’s found wonderfully. Four more.
Australia 39-2
00:45 , Mike JonesTongue is getting the ball to slightly move away from Khawaja who is being watchful in letting the ball go through to the keeper.
Tongue goes for on in the over. This is nice work from England.
The runs are drying up.
Australia 38-2
00:42 , Mike JonesBen Stokes brings himself on to replace to Jofra Archer.
He’ll need to keep things tight and limit the amount of runs scored by this pair.
Adding pressure onto the batters will bring more wickets but England need to be controlled and patient.
Australia 37-2
00:33 , Mike JonesHello Josh Tongue.
Stokes makes his first bowling change now and Tongue comes on to replace Carse.
He’s bang on the money immediately and probes the outside of the off stump to Khawaja.
Khawaja is patient and lets most of the deliveries go by. A maiden for Tongue.
Australia 37-2
00:29 , Mike JonesClose! There’s a miscommunication between the batters and a chance for a run out. Ben Duckett takes the shy at the stumps and the ball just flies over them.
Khawaja gets off strike as Archer continues. He’s been on point to the right handed Labuschagne but is solidly in behind the ball and playing defensively.
A leading edge into the gap on the offside brings him a single.
Khawaja then takes one. Three off the over.
Australia 34-2
00:24 , Mike JonesBrydon Carse has sharpened up and it’s to Stokes’ credit to stick with him after a shaky start to the day.
Usman Khawaja is the new batter and both he and Labuschagne are on nought.
Carse comes over the wicket but Khawaja manages to flick the ball down to fine leg for one.
Wicket! Head ct Crawley b Carse 10 (AUS 33-2)
00:19 , Mike JonesBang!
That is superb from Zak Crawley. Brydon Carse continues and flings a full delivery down at Travis Head.
He doesn’t connect well on a drive and chips the ball low to Crawley who drops to his left and clings onto the ball with one hand!
England have two!
Australia 33-1
00:17 , Mike JonesMarnus Labuschagne is the new batter and the ball is starting to talk from Archer.
He draws the edge with the final delivery of the over but the ball lands short of the slip cordon.
Pressure on Australia.
Wicket! Weatherald ct Smith b Archer 18 (Aus 33-1)
00:13 , Mike JonesEngland have the breakthrough!
Jofra Archer bangs a short ball into the deck and aims it at Jake Weatherald’s body.
He tries to pull but the ball is onto him quickly and he can only edge the ball high.
Jamie Smith sprints over to the ball and is left with the simplest of catches.
Australia are one down.
Australia 33-0
00:10 , Mike JonesBen Stokes is sticking with Carse, probably as a confidence booster.
The instructions will be to get the ball fuller and stop Weatherald from playing square of the wicket.
Weatherald flashes at a couple of wide deliveries from Carse but misses both. Any contact on either of those and it would have been another boundary.
Weatherald takes a single before Head lofts Carse over cover for two more.
A better over from Carse but three more runs from it.
Australia 29-0
00:05 , Mike JonesA first maiden for England!
Archer bowls a bit fuller and pins Head on the crease. He struggles to get the ball away and there’s a halt in the run flow.
A good follow up after Carse’s wayward over just before.
Australia 29-0
00:00 , Mike JonesBrydon Carse has been loose. It’s no good Jofra Archer keeping things tight if Australia are scoring freely at the other end.
Carse drags one down and Weatherald smokes Carse through cover with a back foot punch for four!
The next short ball is similar. Weatherald goes up and over this time with a cut shot over point. Four more runs.
Carse bowls another no ball, his third in as many overs. He’s been poor, no control and too many loose balls.
Carse has gone for 24 off three overs. Weatherald smokes the final ball of the over through cover with a fine drive for four.
Australia 16-0
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:54 , Mike JonesThere’s a bit of extra bounce which keeps Weatherald on the back foot but he manages to pick a gap at midwicket to collect a single.
Archer then tests Head with a sharp, short one and the opener drops underneath it.
One from the over. A decent start from Archer this, just four runs from his three overs.
Australia 14-0
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:50 , Mike JonesGlorious!
Carse is a little loose and sends down a short wide delivery which Head leaps on and cuts him away for four runs.
The rest of the over is tighter and Carse is still getting the ball to swing.
The Australian batters have been watchful though and they’ve not offered anything up for England... yet.
Australia 10-0
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:45 , Mike JonesArcher is slowly ramping up his pace. His first over was around 83mph and the first few balls in this second one are hitting 87mph.
The batters work him around for a few singles.
An easy three runs from it.
Australia 7-0
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:41 , Mike JonesGus Atkinson has been replaced with Josh Tongue for this Test and as such Brydon Carse is given the new ball.
Carse comes round the wicket to Head from the off and gets the ball to swing into the left-hander.
Head manages to work him away for a single to deep fine leg.
Weatherald’s first delivery off Carse sees him edge the ball into the ground and it almost rolls back onto his stumps but he manages to keep it out.
Carse gets the next ball to hoop back into the pads and the swing does for Weatherald who is pinned on the thigh pad.
England are excited about this movement. Carse hits Weatherald’s pads this time but the appeal is half-hearted and was probably missing anyway.
Four! Weatherald then leans into a fuller delivery and rolls it through square leg for the first boundary of the innings.
Australia 1-0
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:36 , Mike JonesAustralia are underway. Head drops a block into the offside and scrambles through for the first run of the Test.
Head’s last five innings here have seen him score three hundreds and a fifty. That’s a decent record.
Jake Weatherald’s first ball sees him get in behind and plods the ball back to Archer.
Just the one from the over.
Start of play: Australia 0-0
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:33 , Mike JonesLet’s go!
Jofra Archer has the ball in hand for the first over. It really does seem like a day for batting so it could be hard work for England who will need to start well.
Archer comes steaming in and flings the first delivery down on a good length, slightly angled away from the left-handed Travis Head.
He plays inside it and lets the ball go safely through to Jamie Smith behind the stumps.
We’re underway in Adelaide...
Almost ready for the third Test to begin
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:24 , Luke BakerOk, we’re not far away from the actual cricket getting underway now. Can England pull a rabbit out of the hat and salvage this Ashes series to keep things alive heading to the MCG?
We’re about to begin to find out!
Minute's silence for Bondi Beach victims
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:22 , Mike JonesBoth teams have made their way out onto the pitch and there is a minute’s silence before the national anthems.
Adelaide falls silent in respect of the victims of the mass shooting on Bondi Beach last week.
Cummins' thoughts at the toss
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:19 , Mike JonesHere are the thoughts of the Australian captain: "I want to bat first. Wicket looks really good and the sun is shining. A good day to bat.
"It feels like a regulation Test match. I don't think you need to get too funky.
"Steve [Smith] is feeling a bit unwell. He came and had a crack this morning. He has headed off home. Good we have someone like Usman [Khawaja] who can step right in. He will bat at four.
"I feel great. Preparation has been awesome. Been itching to get out here for a while, so I need to make it count.
"He [Nathan Lyon] is pretty fresh coming into this one so no doubt he will get a few overs pumped into him."
How to watch the Ashes
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:15 , Luke BakerA reminder how you can watch the Ashes as we edge closer to this Test getting underway.
Play will begin each day at 11.30pm GMT at the Adelaide Oval and all the action will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports. The broadcaster drew some criticism for its plans for the series, which is in part being broadcast from a studio in the United Kingdom.
Khawaja to bat at four
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:12 , Mike JonesIt’s an interesting call from Australia who have decided to slot Usman Khawaja in at four to replace Steve Smith.
That means that Travis Head will continue to open the batting alongside Jake Weatherald.
Khawaja opened at Perth but Head’s displays so far have seen him keep hold of that opening spot.
How will he go today?
Brendon McCullum: England have dealt with Australian hostility well on Ashes tour
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:08 , Luke BakerBrendon McCullum has praised his England squad for the way they have reacted to the off-field “hostility” that has followed them in Australia.
Television broadcaster Channel 7 claimed on Saturday that one of its camera operators was “physically confronted” by a member of England’s security detail as the team were followed at Brisbane airport.
It was the latest example of the local media presenting a thorn in the touring’s team’s side, following the reams of derogatory headlines, photographers trailing players on days off and even a drone despatched to monitor a round of golf in Perth.
At one stage, captain Ben Stokes was asked by a political correspondent if he wished to apologise to the people of Queensland after being snapped riding an e-scooter without the mandatory safety helmet.
McCullum understands the glare of the spotlight that accompanies a series like the Ashes and feels England have held up admirably thus far.
Brendon McCullum: England have dealt with Australian hostility well on Ashes tour
Australia win toss and bat first
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:02 , Mike JonesPat Cummins is back as Australia’s captain and he’s won the toss.
Australia will be batting first.
Steve Smith isn’t in the team and has been ill for the last few days. As such the hosts have brought in Usman Khawaja who will bat at four according to Cummins at the toss.
BREAKING: Steve Smith set to be ruled out with last-minute injury injury
Tuesday 16 December 2025 23:00 , Will CastleWe’ve got some serious breaking news for you.
Australia batsman Steve Smith is set to be ruled out of the third Ashes Test due to injury.
He is reported to have left the Adelaide Oval after being hit in the head in nets and may be suffering concussion symptoms.
A shocking blow for Australia.
Australian newspapers mock England over Ashes plans: ‘Overprepared to the bitter end’
Tuesday 16 December 2025 22:58 , Luke BakerAustralia’s tabloid newspapers have mocked the England cricket team’s recent trip to a beach town in Queensland, with references made to head coach Brendon McCullum’s assertion that the tourists had “trained too much” before the second Ashes Test.
The touring squad were spotted in the town of Noosa, just north of Brisbane, with captain Ben Stokes taking pictures with fans and vice-captain Harry Brook pictured alongside Zak Crawley and others drinking beer at a beachside bar.
And the host nation’s papers delighted in the tourists’ mid-tour trip, with headlines including “Sun’s out, runs out” accompanied by various photos of the travelling squad.
“On back foot, England bails to the beach”, read one headline, with another going with “Life’s a beach, even for the sinking Poms”. The West Australian, which had previously poked fun at England with a headline of “Baz bawl”, highlighted McCullum’s comments with a title of: “’Overprepared’ to the Bitter End”.
Tributes planned to honour Bondi Beach victims
Tuesday 16 December 2025 22:36 , Luke BakerThere are tributes planned to honour the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack before play starts in about an hour’s time.
All players will observe a minute’s silence and will wear black armbands. Flags at the Adelaide Oval will fly at half-mast and 80-year-old folk musician John Williamson will perform his 1982 anthem True Blue.
The four changes England must consider to revive Ashes hopes
Tuesday 16 December 2025 22:09 , Luke BakerEngland ultimately stuck to their guns for the third Test, with just one change to the line-up.
But Harry Latham-Coyle dissects the four changes they should have been making for this Adelaide challenge:
The four changes England must consider to revive Ashes hopes
Is England’s failing Ashes campaign the end for Brendon McCullum’s Bazball project?
Tuesday 16 December 2025 21:44 , Luke BakerBrendon McCullum said something telling during his appearance on Stuart Broad’s For the Love of Cricket podcast back in September. Broad asked McCullum why he chose to take on the challenge of reviving England’s failing Test team when ECB managing director Rob Key called in the spring of 2022, rather than becoming England’s white-ball coach, which seemed a more natural fit.
“I looked at where the white-ball side was at,” McCullum replied. “You’re trying to take the team from good to great, and they’re not really my skills, as such. My skills are more about giving a team a bit of soul and trying to give them some purpose and give them some freedom and push them towards a bit of bravery and courage out on the field. I felt the Test team was more aligned to that.”
It was a window into how McCullum sees himself: motivator, rebuilder, giving direction to a group who look lost.
But is this the end of the Bazball experiment? Lawrence Ostlere examines the situation:
Is England’s failing Ashes campaign the end for McCullum’s Bazball project?
WATCH: Cummins and Stokes reflect on Bondi terror attack
Tuesday 16 December 2025 21:16 , Luke BakerThere will be a sombre atmosphere ahead of the third Test as both teams pay tribute to the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack earlier this week.
Captains Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes spoke about the situation in their press conferences yesterday
Harry Brook to be more selective after ‘shocking’ errors in first two Ashes Tests
Tuesday 16 December 2025 20:50 , Luke BakerHarry Brook is prepared to “rein it in” in this week’s third Ashes Test, admitting he has been guilty of “shocking” errors since arriving in Australia.
Brook has failed to fire in the series so far, managing just 98 runs in four innings and gifting his wicket with some poorly judged attacking strokes.
The 26-year-old started the trip as the number two batter in the ICC world rankings, but has dropped two places in as many games and needs to carry more of the weight if England are to keep their campaign alive in Adelaide.
Brook, who was promoted to vice-captain ahead of the tour, accepts he has made mistakes and has signalled an intent to be more selective.
Harry Brook to be more selective after ‘shocking’ errors in first two Ashes Tests
Australia vs England 3rd Test: Ashes prediction, betting tips and odds
Tuesday 16 December 2025 20:21 , Luke BakerWith the series hanging by a thread, England head to Adelaide looking for redemption.
Here are our best betting tips and predictions for the third Test:
Australia vs England 3rd Test: Ashes prediction, betting tips & odds
England's flailing batters
Tuesday 16 December 2025 19:52 , Luke BakerHere’s how England’s batters are faring, in terms of averages, in this Ashes. Only Joe Root averaging above 30...
- Zak Crawley: 30.00
- Ben Duckett: 16.00
- Ollie Pope: 26.25
- Joe Root: 53.66
- Harry Brook: 24.50
- Ben Stokes: 19.25
- Jamie Smith: 13.00
More from Ben Stokes on third Test preparations
Tuesday 16 December 2025 19:33 , Luke BakerStokes has had plenty to say about how England are preparing for their Adelaide showdown.
“I have full backing that we can do this,” said Stokes.
“We are able to draw on experience of being in this situation before. We know what it’s like to be in this situation and we knew we had to come here and win this amount of games anyway.
“In terms of that, it hasn’t changed from before we started. Everyone knows what needs to happen in the coming week, and after that as well. If anything, it actually makes everything look a bit more simple and a bit more clear for us.”
Ben Stokes: There is no room for weak men in Australia or my dressing room
Tuesday 16 December 2025 19:07 , Luke BakerCaptain Ben Stokes has made it clear there is no room for “weak men” on England’s faltering Ashes tour.
Stokes’ side are 2-0 down with three to play and there are serious question marks over the ability of his England team to react to the big occasion, with time running out for them to find an appropriate answer.
“There is a saying that we have said a lot here, that Australia is not for weak men,” he said, after seeing his side fall 2-0 behind.
“Teams who come to Australia can’t be soft or weak, whatever it may be, because that’s how it is out here: it’s a tough place to come. You can’t come to Australia and be weak but you also can’t be in my dressing room if you are and there is none of that.
“We pick people on ability and skill but we also pick people on character and mentality. A few things obviously need to be addressed, I think, on that but deep down we’ve got characters who I know that can stand up to what we’ve got to do over the next three games.”
Ben Stokes drops major Ashes hint on England’s ploy before crucial third Test in Adelaide
Tuesday 16 December 2025 18:47 , Luke BakerBen Stokes has hinted that England will bat first should he win the toss in the third Test against Australia in Adelaide.
It is forecast to be scorchingly hot in Adelaide this week, with temperatures reaching 32C on Wednesday’s opening day and 37C on Thursday’s day two, before dropping slightly at the back end of the match.
England must win the Test to keep up any hope of winning the Ashes, having lost the opening two games in Perth and Brisbane in chastening defeats, and the toss could prove pivotal to the outcome in South Australia.
Stokes has often chosen to bowl first during his captaincy, preferring to chase down targets in the fourth innings with the bat. But with conditions likely to favour the batters on the opening days, and offer a brutal environment for bowlers to get through their overs, he hinted at batting first with a nod to one of England’s most infamous calls.
Ben Stokes drops major Ashes hint on England ploy for crucial third Test in Adelaide
England just don’t get it and reaction to another Ashes thrashing leaves a bitter taste
Tuesday 16 December 2025 18:20 , Luke BakerWell, don’t say it out loud.
“Leading into this Test match,” Brendon McCullum said after the conclusion of a brutal second Ashes Test for England, falling 2-0 behind Australia. “I actually think we overprepared, to be honest.”
A bookmark moment for Ashes obituaries everywhere. The leader and co-founder of Bazball, alongside Ben Stokes, was hard on himself and the team, making light of a galling defeat that all but ends England’s hopes Down Under, falling to an eight-wicket loss.
People had waited so long for this. The referendum on a new style of play, contested in a box-office series between cricket’s two oldest enemies. And after six days on the pitch – it’s all but done.
Read Cameron Ponsonby’s full piece from the second Test:
England don’t get it and reaction to another Ashes thrashing leaves a bitter taste
WATCH: Bruised and broken England need Ashes miracle after humbling defeat in Brisbane
Tuesday 16 December 2025 17:54 , Luke BakerThrowing back to the second Test and after England’s latest defeat, our man on the ground in Australia, Cameron Ponsonby had his say on England’s Ashes hopes.
England get their practice in
Tuesday 16 December 2025 17:31 , Luke BakerEngland have been hitting the nets hard since arriving in Adelaide
England receive help from unlikely source
Tuesday 16 December 2025 17:05 , Luke BakerEngland have received help from an unlikely source in the build-up to this crucial Test in Adelaide as Australian-born Surrey bowler Dan Worrall joined in a training session.
Pace bowler Worrall, a former Australia international, decked himself out in an England Euro 96 football shirt and teamed up with Ben Stokes’ squad for net practice at the Adelaide Oval, where England’s batters are hoping to rediscover some much-needed form.
Worrall offered his assistance to the England and Wales Cricket Board after being asked to help out by some of his Surrey team-mates, who he met up with in Adelaide.
The 34-year-old, who played Sheffield Shield cricket for South Australia, made three one-day international appearances for Australia in 2016 before he joined Surrey in 2022 and has also had two spells with Gloucestershire.
England name team for third Ashes Test and make change to bowling unit
Tuesday 16 December 2025 16:40 , Luke BakerSo, to England’s team news and bad news for Shoaib Bashir.
England have recalled Josh Tongue for this evening’s Test but spinner Bashir has again been omitted.
Tongue’s return, replacing the out-of-sorts Gus Atkinson in the pace attack, is the only change from the side beaten by eight wickets at the Gabba to slip 2-0 behind.
That means Surrey all-rounder Will Jacks retains his place as the designated spinner, in what equates to a significant vote of no confidence in Bashir.
The 22-year-old has long been earmarked for a major role in this series but, after missing out on pacy pitches in Perth and Brisbane, he has failed to dislodge a player better known for his white-ball batting than his red-ball bowling.
England name team for third Ashes Test and make change to bowling unit
Ben Stokes demands major change from England in must-win Ashes Test
Tuesday 16 December 2025 16:20 , Luke BakerBen Stokes has challenged his England team to bare their teeth and prove they have “a bit of dog” in them as their Ashes campaign reaches must-win territory in Adelaide.
The tourists have made just one change to their playing XI for the third Test, Josh Tongue recalled in place of fellow seamer Gus Atkinson, but Stokes has made it plain he wants to see a different side to his players.
In the aftermath of their eight-wicket defeat in Brisbane, captain Stokes pointedly stated that his dressing room was “no place for weak men”.
Ben Stokes demands major change from England in must-win Ashes Test
Australia make big call over captain Pat Cummins for crunch Ashes Test
Tuesday 16 December 2025 16:14 , Luke BakerAustralia have recalled captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, but there is no room for fit-again batter Usman Khawaja.
At 2-0 up the hosts have flexed their bowling muscles, adding 871 Test wickets to their XI at the expense of Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser.
Cummins, who missed the first two Tests as the hosts managed his return from a back injury, returns to lead the pace attack and lead spinner Lyon is back after his surprise omission in Brisbane.
But there is no room for Khawaja, who started the series as incumbent opener but suffered back spasms during the first Test.
Australia make big call over captain Pat Cummins for crunch Ashes Test
How to watch the Ashes
Tuesday 16 December 2025 16:12 , Luke BakerThe third Ashes Test will begins this evening, Wednesday 17 December in Adelaide and could run until 21 December.
After the day-night Test in Brisbane, the series reverts to more traditional timings – play will begin each day at 11.30pm GMT at the Adelaide Oval as England attempt to fight back.
All the action will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports. The broadcaster drew some criticism for its plans for the series, which is in part being broadcast from a studio in the United Kingdom.
Ashes 2025/26 schedule
Tuesday 16 December 2025 16:11 , Luke BakerHere’s the full schedule for the series
All times GMT
First Test, Perth Stadium: Australia won by eight wickets
Second Test, The Gabba in Brisbane: Australia won by eight wickets
Third Test, Adelaide Oval in Adelaide: 17-21 December (11.30pm, 16 December)
Fourth Test, MCG in Melbourne: 26-30 December (11.30pm, 25 December)
Fifth Test, SCG in Sydney: 4-8 January (11.30pm, 3 January)
England and Australia to pay tribute to Bondi shooting victims in third Ashes Test
Tuesday 16 December 2025 16:06 , Luke BakerEngland’s Ashes squad will stand in solidarity with their Australian counterparts as both teams pay tribute to the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack in Adelaide.
All players will wear observe a minute’s silence before the third Test on Wednesday and will wear black armbands throughout the match, with flags at the Adelaide Oval flying at half-mast following Sunday’s shooting which left 15 dead and 42 injured.
South Australia Police has confirmed an increased security presence will be deployed at the stadium, including additional checkpoints and armed officers on the ground.
England and Australia to pay tribute to Bondi shooting victims in third Ashes Test
Australia v England - third Test
Tuesday 16 December 2025 15:10 , Luke BakerWelcome to The Independent’s coverage of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.
At 2-0 down, it’s now or never, win or bust for England. Can Ben Stokes’s men dig deep and deliver a performance to be proud of?
Stick with us for all the build-up and then coverage of the match itself.