2–0 down to Gubby Allen's England side. Sydney is a famous spinning wicket, though the three tour matches the MCC had seen many runs for few wickets. In the New South Wales game immediately before the Third Test they had made 553/8 with Len Hutton making 150 and Reg Simpson 259 and the fast-medium bowler John Warr took 4/67. As a result the unhappy Brian Close was dropped in favour of Warr, making his debut, and England went into the Test with Doug Wright as the only specialist spinner, supported by the part-time spin of Freddie Brown and Denis Compton. The leg-spinner Eric Hollies had taken 5 wickets (78.60) in his three games at the Sydney Cricket Ground and off-spinner Bob Berry was going for 4 runs an over in his containment role and were not chosen. Denis Compton was fit again and replaced the ailing John Dewes, but Gilbert Parkhouse stayed in the team thanks to his fighting 28 at Melbourne and 92 against New South Wales. Australia kept the same team from the Second Test, though if they had lost the performances of a few of them would have resulted in their being dropped. For the only time in Lindsay Hassett's career as captain he lost the toss in an Ashes Test and Freddie Brown was able to bat first on another flat batting track. England – First Innings Miller, in one spirited over, altered the whole course of the game. With the third ball of that eventful over he trapped Hutton with his legs in front of the wicket trying to defend against an inswinger which moved in late. The value of Miller's bowling lies wholly and solely in its surprise element. Just when he appears to be well under the control of the batsman he comes to light with a ball that can upset anyone...with the sixth ball of the over Compton played-on before he had opened his score. The seventh and eighth balls did everything else but put paid to Parkhouse's account. Miller deserved every bit of the thunderous applause which the big crowd handed him when the over was completed. Bill O'Reilly Brown dispensed with the experiment of having Hutton bat down the order and the old Roses opening partnership of Len Hutton and Cyril Washbrook went to the crease. Hutton was full of confidence, 19 runs came off the first three overs and