The Ashes live cricket scores: Australia and England resume battle in fifth and final Test at the SCG

Ben Duckett swiped Mitchell Starc for another pair of boundaries, but the Australian spearhead has had the last laugh.

Starc was not discouraged, keeping the ball full and suckering Duckett into an edge well outside his off stump, which wicketkeeper Alex Carey gratefully accepted.

The opener goes for 27 from 24 balls.

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ENG 1-35

Steve Smith has pulled Michael Neser from the bowling attack after just two overs and introduced Scott Boland.

There looks to be very little movement in this pitch, but the Victorian was able to beat Ben Duckett’s edge from around the wicket by getting a delivery to straighten.

ENG 0-27

Some of England’s batters have abandoned the Bazball approach this summer — but not Ben Duckett.

The diminutive opener thumped Mitchell Starc for a pair of boundaries in the fifth over to move to 18 from 15 balls.

ENG 0-26

Despite being in rare catching form, Marnus Labuschagne has been moved out of the slips cordon.

The Queenslander took two of the summer’s best catches in Adelaide but Usman Khawaja has returned to first slip for his final Test match.

ENG 0-17

There’s plenty happening at the SCG.

England’s openers are looking to be proactive in tackling the threat of Mitchell Starc, scoring from three deliveries in the Australian spearhead’s second over.

ENG 0-15

Zak Crawley has hit his first boundary but it came in streaky fashion, courtesy of an edge from Michael Neser which went between the slips cordon and gully.

Beau Webster is standing at third slip and his recall has given Australia plenty of height in their catching department.

ENG 0-11

England have got through Mitchell Starc’s first over unscathed, with Zak Crawley dropping second ball at his feet and scampering through for a single for the first run of the Test match.

Mitchell Starc nearly knocked over Ben Duckett with the first ball he sent down to the left-hander, before Duckett clipped a leg glance to the boundary.

ENG 0-5

Mitchell Starc has the new red Kookaburra in his hand and, after a slight delay due to a stray television light, is about to send down the first over to England’s Zak Crawley.

Can he jag a wicket in his first over for the fifth time in the series?

After declaring he wanted to see the SCG pitch return to its spin-friendly roots yesterday, Australia stand-in captain Steve Smith has said he ‘hates’ going into a Test match without a specialist spinner.

“We keep producing wickets that we don’t think is going to spin and seams going to play a big part and cracks are going to play a big part,” Smith told Channel Seven.

“You kind of get pushed into a corner in a way. So yeah, that’s the way we’ve gone.”

Australia have backed their misfiring batting line-up, with Cam Green, Jake Weatherald and Marnus Labuschagne all lining up for the fifth Test.

But Australian legend Ricky Ponting says the trio need a big finish to the series.

“Jake Weatherald stays up at the top, but he needs runs, as does Labuschagne,” he told Channel Seven.

“(Michael) Neser had a great game in Melbourne last week, he deserves to stay in. They opted for no Todd Murphy. Beau Webster as this game goes on, will bowl some off spin, I think.”