A big partnership between Joe Root and Harry Brook helped England into a rare position of strength against Australia on the first day of the fifth Test – only for bad light and rain to cut short their good work.
When the umpires ushered the players off for an early tea at 2.55pm, England had reached 211 for three after Ben Stokes chose to make first use of a green-tinged but true SCG surface which looks to have achieved its first objective of avoiding another two-day finish.
After joining forces at a perilous 57 for three, Root and Brook set about compiling England’s largest stand of the series – 157 by the time play was finally called off to boos from the crowd at 5pm – and only their third above 100. Root had 72, Brook 78, and Australia were starting to look short of ideas, having opted not to pick a frontline spinner at Sydney for the first time since 1887-88.
While Root batted as serenely as he has done all series, even during his long-awaited century at the Gabba, Brook mixed high-class strokes with occasional brainfades, especially during a spell of bouncers from Mitchell Starc with the field spread waiting for the miscue.
One swipe flew over the wicketkeeper’s head for a single, while a loopy pull somehow dropped between three converging fielders at deep square leg. But Brook was not to be deterred: when Cameron Green, whose eight overs leaked 57, dropped short again, Brook swivel-pulled him for an imperious six over long leg.
Earlier, both he and Root had each moved to their second score of 50-plus in this series in the same over from Beau Webster, preferred here to the off-breaks of Todd Murphy. Root’s came first, from 65 balls, and Brook followed, from 63.
Harry Brook and Joe Root built a sturdy lead for England as they made the series’ largest stand
But England’s hopes of a bumper day were cut short by scattered rain and bad light in Sydney
Only two fourth-wicket pairs have added more for England in Sydney: Colin Cowdrey and Peter May (182 in 1958-59) and Mike Atherton and John Crawley (174 in 1994-95). England need their Yorkshire pair to break that record, and then some if they are to achieve the win that could yet affect the end-of-tour conclusions reached by the ECB’s chairman and chief executive, Richard Thompson and Richard Gould.
Earlier, England’s top three – fragile all series – had stumbled from 35 without loss to 57 for three in six overs, as Australia’s seamers overcame an untidy start.
Duckett raced to 27, with five fours, before following one that left him, and falling to Starc for the fifth time over the past few weeks. It was also the fifth time Duckett has reached 20 without passing 34, confirming this as his worst series since he returned to the Test side for the 2022-23 tour of Pakistan after six years out of the side.
Crawley made just 16 before playing round a full-length ball from Michael Neser, his lbw confirmed by DRS, which had the ball hitting leg bail. And, after a couple of crisp strokes, Jacob Bethell was next to go, for 10, undone by bounce and movement outside off stump from Scott Boland.
Another wicket before lunch could have triggered England’s unravelling, but Root and Brook put the pitch into perspective, giving their morning a boost with 13 off Green’s last over of the session, then adding 97 between lunch and the early tea.
Both men ticked off 300 runs for the series – among Australians, only Travis Head has scored more – and were working the ball around with ease when the clouds closed in.
