On the third day of the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Australia etched their name into the record books by emulating a rare feat previously achieved only by India. On Tuesday, January 6, the Steve Smith-led side dominated the English attack to build a massive first-innings lead, moving closer to a 4-1 series victory after their earlier setback in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Australia rewrite history books, end 134-year-old jinx with record-breaking feat
The historic innings was defined by remarkable consistency across the batting order, featuring seven partnerships of 50 runs or more. The only stand to fall short of the half-century mark was a 27-run pairing between Alex Carey and Steve Smith. This extraordinary depth allowed Australia to reach 529-7 by stumps, with Travis Head smashing a blistering 163 and Steve Smith remaining unbeaten on 129—his 37th Test century. Earlier, England had been dismissed for 384, despite a valiant 160 from Joe Root.
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Australia record seven 50-plus stands, only team after India to do so
By recording seven 50-plus stands, Australia became only the second team in Test history to do so. The world record remains with the Indian team of 2007, which famously stitched together eight half-century partnerships against England at The Oval—an innings best remembered for Anil Kumble’s maiden Test ton. While Australia fell just one partnership shy of the all-time world record, they officially shattered a 134-year-old Ashes benchmark, surpassing the six 50-plus stands set by England in 1892.
Statistically, this level of collective batting performance is incredibly rare; outside of India and Australia’s historic efforts, no other nation has ever managed seven such partnerships in a single trip to the crease. While 33 instances of six half-century stands exist in the record books, Australia's display at the SCG highlights a level of sustained dominance that has rarely been seen in the long history of the sport.
As play resumed on Day 4, Australia stood on the precipice of history with a genuine chance to surpass India’s all-time world record for the most 50-plus partnerships in a single Test innings. Entering the day with seven such stands already in the books, the hosts needed just one more half-century partnership from their final two wickets to overtake the benchmark of eight set by India against England in 2007.
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The lower order offered plenty of reason for optimism, with Mitchell Starc, who has displayed excellent touch with the bat throughout the series—joining the well-set Beau Webster at the crease. However, England’s bowlers clinical morning session quickly shut the door on the record attempt. Josh Tongue spearheaded the breakthrough, dismissing Steve Smith for 138 and later removing Starc for just 5, effectively ending the tail's resistance.
Australia’s first innings ultimately concluded at 567 all out, leaving them tied with India for the second-most 50-plus partnerships (7) in Test history. While they narrowly missed out on the world record, they successfully secured a massive 183-run lead, firmly cementing their control over the match. Scott Boland remained the final man out, leaving Webster stranded on an unbeaten 71 as the focus shifted to England’s daunting task of batting for survival.