England 211-3: Stream 78*, Root 72*
Australia: Still to bat
England won the toss
Scorekeeper
England’s promising start to the fifth Ashes Test against Australia was hampered by poor light and rain on the opening day in Sydney.
Joe Root and Harry Brook had taken the tourists to 211-3 when time came to end the evening session at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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The fourth-wicket pair added an unbroken 154, England’s highest partnership in a series in which they are 3-1 down.
After captain Ben Stokes won the toss for the fourth time on the tour, England were in danger of throwing away some friendly batting conditions as they slipped to 57-3.
Ben Duckett was caught behind Mitchell Starc for a windy 27, Zak Crawley played around Michael Neser to be lbw for 16 and Jacob Bethell unnecessarily pushed Scott Boland for 10.
The visitors had lost two wickets for six runs and Root and Brook were at zero, only for England’s two best batsmen to combine.
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Root was sublime for his 72 not out and has a chance to reach his second hundred in this country.
Brook, 78, is closing in on his first Ashes hundred in his 10th Test against Australia.
Barring the initial burst, when they claimed three wickets in the first 13 overs, the hosts were wayward with the ball. By omitting spinner Todd Murphy, Australia opted not to select a specialist spinner in a Sydney Test for the first time since 1888.
Poor lighting stopped play at 2:55 p.m. local time, and then rain came and went. Despite dry weather and improved lighting, the game was frustratingly abandoned two hours later, leaving half of the day’s 90 overs unplayed.
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Sydney show stirs up dead rubber
After England’s two-day victory in the fourth Test in Melbourne, Australia coach Andrew McDonald exhausted some of the anticipation of the end when he said “the Ashes are over” and noted that these teams are now simply playing for points in the World Test Championship.
The Sydney contest lacks a certain degree of danger. The Ashes were decided after just three Tests and England avoided the indignity of a 5-0 clean sweep.
Still, this contest could have a big impact on the future of the English hierarchy. A defeat would put further pressure on head coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key. Even victory might not save both men if they cannot agree on a path forward.
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And a vibrant atmosphere provided a sense of spectacle on a sunny Sunday morning in Sydney.
Before the game, the heroes and first responders of last month’s Bondi Beach terror attack were given a guard of honor by both teams in a chilling moment, marked by a standing ovation from a packed crowd that grew to 49,574, the largest for a test at this ground in 50 years.
At the end of one of England’s most disappointing Ashes tours in recent memory, Root and Brook’s batting perhaps only adds to the frustration of previous poor performances. Too little and too late.
Still, a 3-2 defeat is more respectable than a 4-1, and England have made a bright start in their bid to reduce the deficit further.
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Root and Brook rescue England
For all the confusion over how the field would be played (in the end, neither team selected a spinner specialist), there was no doubt that England were once again staring over the precipice just over an hour into the day.
Thereafter Root and Brook were outstanding and found an ideal rhythm for the Test batting that had eluded England for much of the tour.
Initially, Root scored quicker. The Australian attack was often too wide and England’s number four was engaged in cutting, skilful sliding and covering.
Brook has performed poorly on this tour and regularly engineers his own downfall. On this occasion, he survived Australian attempts to play on his patience, albeit with a touch of fortune.
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His first boundary was a top edge delivery from Boland that went over the slips. After lunch, Starc bowled the bouncers with as many as six fielders in the boundary and Brook, on 45, was lucky when an error fell between three men.
But there were other high-class knocks, including a Cameron Green delivery for six. Green responded to ask questions of Brook, who was beginning to look frustrated as the light came on.
Australia goes against history
The SCG is historically the most spinner-friendly ground in Australia – three of the top four Test wicket-keepers here are slow bowlers.
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But Sydney has gradually lost its reputation for helping spinners in recent years and this series will end like the Ashes with the fewest wickets ever taken by tweakers.
Of Murphy’s omission, Australia stand-in captain Smith said: “I hate to do it” but the conditions “backed him into a corner”. By selecting all-rounder Beau Webster instead of seamer Jhye Richardson, the hosts at least have a rest option.
Australia’s bowlers have been relentless for much of the series, and this was a day when their accuracy finally deserted them. Behind the three frontline seamers, Green and Webster bowled a combined 10 overs that cost 68 runs.
Starc spun the new ball, although when it lost its shine, the surface offered little. There could be the possibility of a variable bounce later in the match, a benefit for England’s bottom bowlers.
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And, after two two-day Tests in the series, England’s batting and poor weather in Sydney at least offer the possibility of this match eating up much of the allotted time.