England to bat first as Crane makes Test debut in Sydney
England won the toss and elected to bat in the fifth Ashes clash as Mason Crane prepares to make his Test debut in Sydney.
Light rain at the SCG on Thursday saw the toss delayed by more than two hours before Joe Root opted to bat with an early lunch called without a ball being bowled.
Leg-spinner Crane, who has played two Twenty20s for England, will make his debut as the tourists went with two spinners, with Moeen Ali keeping his spot.
Chris Woakes is sidelined for England due to a side injury.
Joe Root wins the toss and England will bat first #Ashes pic.twitter.com/1xorTona0n
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 4, 2018
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Australia go in with a one-man spin attack in Nathan Lyon, with paceman Mitchell Starc returning from his heel injury, replacing Jackson Bird.
The wicket again appears flat, although bowlers will be hoping it offers greater assistance than the pitch in Melbourne, where the fourth Test was drawn.
While rain delayed the start of day one, hot weather is expected for the remainder of the Test.
Australia: Cameron Bancroft, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (c), Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.
England: Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (c), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Tom Curran, Stuart Broad, Mason Crane, James Anderson.