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What time is lunch, tea and stumps in the Ashes 2025/26? Australia v England time and breaks explained

Your guide to timings during the Ashes 2025/26 in Australia.

England captain Ben Stokes, in Test whites, leads his team, in Test whites, onto the field.

Photo by Philip Brown/Getty Images

Published: Monday, 29 December 2025 at 10:55 am

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England and Australia face off at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the 5th and final Test of the Ashes 2025/26.

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The urn will be staying Down Under, with the Aussies clinching a series win at the earliest opportunity, but the tourists showed their grit to bounce back with a victory at the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

That victory ended a 15-year wait for a Test win on Australian soil, ensured a 5-0 whitewash will be avoided, and restored some pride for Ben Stokes's side. They will be desperate to add another one as they look to end a disappointing tour with some positivity.

More traditional Test conditions are expected at the SCG, where a number of England players and the management will have another chance to prove their mettle ahead of the postmortem to come when they get back home.

For the final time this winter, fans in the UK will need to set their alarms or just stay up until the early hours to get their fill of Ashes cricket.

RadioTimes.com brings you all the details about lunch, tea, and stumps during the Ashes 2025/26.

What time does play start in the 5th Test of the Ashes 2025/26?

The 5th Test of the Ashes 2025/26 between Australia and England is due to start at 11:30pm UK time.

That is 10:30am local time (the next day) in Sydney.

When is lunch in the 5th Test of the Ashes 2025/26?

The 5th Test of the Ashes 2025/26 between Australia and England will break for lunch at 1:30am UK time.

Play will break for 40 minutes before resuming with the afternoon session.

When is tea in the 5th Test of the Ashes 2025/26?

The 5th Test of the Ashes 2025/26 between Australia and England will break for tea at 4:10am UK time.

Players will take a 20-minute break in the afternoon prior to the third and final session.

When is stumps in the 5th Test of the Ashes 2025/26?

The 5th Test of the Ashes 2025/26 between Australia and England is due to close each day at 7am UK time.

The day can be extended for an extra half hour if the allotted overs have not been bowled in time, which they rarely are.

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The Ashes 2025/26 on TV and live stream

The Ashes will be shown live on TNT Sports.

There are multiple ways to get TNT Sports. If you already have BT Broadband, you can add TNT Sports to your existing contract from just £18 per month. You can add the ‘Big Sport’ package for £40 per month which includes all TNT Sports and 11 Sky Sports channels via a NOW pass.

You can also access TNT Sports via discovery+ and stream directly to your smart TV.

You can watch the Ashes on TNT Sports via discovery+ Premium monthly pass without signing up to a contract.

Regular subscribers can also stream matches on a variety of devices including laptops, smartphones and tablets via the discovery+ app.

discovery+ is the new streaming home of TNT Sports, showing events including live Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Premiership Rugby, UFC, Boxing and MotoGP. Learn more here: discoveryplus.com

TNT Sports and discovery+ have exclusive live TV coverage of the Ashes, which can also be watched through Amazon Prime Video, while fans can listen to every ball of the series via Test Match Special on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.

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Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Ned Holmes, smiling against a lime green background.

Ned Holmes

Ned is a sports writer at RadioTimes.com. He has covered a host of sports from EFL football, international cricket and golf all the way through to bike polo and triathlon.

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