England’s flimsy top order was brushed aside again before Joe Root and Harry Brook began to rebuild on the first morning of the final Ashes Test in Sydney.
Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell and Zak Crawley all fell quickly to make it 57 for three inside 13 overs but an unbroken stand between Root (31no) and Brook (23no) doubled the score without further loss at lunch.
Australia left out Todd Murphy for Beau Webster, meaning no specialist spinner in their side at the SCG for the first time since 1888, and found enough seam movement to justify their call.
Ben Stokes won the toss for the fourth time in the series and chose to make first use of promising batting conditions, with bright sun overhead and only the slightest hint of live grass on show.
Duckett and Crawley looked to make a positive start, chasing down a succession of early singles and pinging a couple of looseners to the ropes in the first two overs.
Duckett attempted to crank things up a notch, striking four boundaries in the space of nine deliveries from attack leader Mitchell Starc only to hand over his wicket from the 10th.
It was a familiar departure, fending away from his body to a ball he might easily have left, to feed Starc yet another new ball success. Duckett’s 27 came at quicker than a run-a-ball but he has a top score of 34 on tour and average of just half that.
Australia have made a habit of strangling England’s top order and applied the squeeze again when they detained Jacob Bethell for 15 deliveries before getting off the mark. Zak Crawley (16) took the score past 50 with a thump through mid-wicket but Michael Neser made it a good first hour for the hosts when he trapped the tall right-hander lbw with the ball.
Australia kept coming, Scott Boland’s relentless examination on a good length proving too much for Bethell. Surprised by one that lifted sharply he nicked through to Alex Carey, departing for 10.
Another wicket would have been seriously damaging but the Yorkshire duo clung on. Root swiped at fresh air off his first ball and survived a big lbw appeal, while Brook had minor scares off both edges before he got going. The pair found their rhythm in the closing stages of the session, taking 27 runs off the last three overs.
