England 114-3 at lunch on Day 1 of final Ashes test after Bondi tribute at Sydney Cricket Ground

By Canadian Press on January 3, 2026.

SYDNEY (AP) — England was 114-3 at lunch on Day 1 of the final Ashes test against Australia on Sunday amid a strong security presence at the Sydney Cricket Ground and after an emotional on-field tribute for the Bondi terror victims and first responders.

After losing three wickets in quick succession midway through the session, fourth-wicket pair Joe Root and Harry Brook guided England to lunch in a good position.

At the break, Root was unbeaten on 31 and Brook was 23 not out.

Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley got away to a swift start after England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat on a bright, sunny day in Sydney.

Mitchell Starc ended their partnership at 35 when he teased an edge from Duckett (27) through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey for his 27th wicket of the series.

Australia then made a double strike just after the drinks break with Michael Neser trapping Crawley (16) lbw and, eight balls later, Scott Boland sending Jacob Bethell (10) on his way with a trademark ball that nipped off the seam and caught the edge through to Carey.

At 57-3 England was in trouble before Root and Brook doubled their score without further damage.

Heavy security and emotions

In a rarity at a sporting event in Australia, police with long-arm rifles, mounted police and riot squad officers were on patrol as part of heightened security measures at the sold-out match following the antisemitic Bondi Beach terror attack which killed 15 people three weeks ago.

Before play commenced, victims of the shootings, first responders and community members were honored with an on-field tribute, including a guard of honor and a standing ovation from the capacity crowd.

In strong emotional scenes, the largest roar of the morning was for Ahmed al Ahmed, the shop owner who helped put an end to the rampage of one of the shooters, as he joined other community members and emergency services on the field.

After the standing ovation, Ahmed, along with the others, were each greeted by the Australian team with Usman Khawaja embracing Ahmed, who was wearing a sling to protect the shoulder where he was shot during the attack.

Khawaja is playing his 88th and final test for Australia after announcing his retirement on Friday.

No place for spin

Australia made one change with allrounder Beau Webster getting his first appearance of the series at the expense of Jhye Richardson.

Webster’s recall meant there was no space for spinner Todd Murphy, the first time Australia has not fielded a specialist spinner at the SCG since 1888.

England called up speedster Matthew Potts after Gus Atkinson pulled up lame during the Boxing Day test in its only change.

England lost each of the first three tests to allow Australia to retain the Ashes in just 11 days of on-field action.

England then won its first Ashes match Down Under since 2011 with a four-wicket win in the Boxing Day test that led to days of sustained criticism about the overly grassed pitch.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

The Associated Press