Joe Root and Harry Brook produced England’s best partnership of a punishing Ashes series on day one of the final Test before being stopped in their tracks by the Sydney weather.
The Yorkshire duo came together with the tourists in familiar strife at 57 for three, another sloppy start from the top order putting them under pressure at a sold-out SCG, and stitched together an unbroken stand of 154.
That took England to 211 for three and they were on the verge of turning a sturdy position into something even stronger when bad light and rain forced an early end to proceedings just before the tea break.
Root was a definition of calm control as he reeled off a mature 72 not out, with Brook indulging a few of his more hyperactive tendencies as he rushed to 78no.
It was the sixth time the pair have put on a century together and, more importantly, England’s most productive alliance of a frustratingly low-scoring trip. Root was also involved in the previous best, adding 117 with Zak Crawley in Brisbane on his way to his first ton on Australian soil.
He will be desperate to follow suit on day two, banishing his demons Down Under once and for all, while Brook is chasing a first Ashes century in his 18th innings.
Between them the pair tamed a home attack featuring no specialist spinner at this ground for the first time since 1888. Home skipper Steve Smith said he “hated” leaving out Todd Murphy at a venue synonymous with turning tracks but it continued a worrying recent trend that has seen seam dominate in recent years. The call was far from a roaring triumph, though, as all-rounders Cameron Green and Beau Webster turned in a combined total of 10 wicketless overs for 67.
By the time the teams were forced indoors with just half of the scheduled 90 overs delivered, England were well on top, with Australia seemingly hanging in for the kind of self-inflicted collapse that has blighted the tourists’ trip.
They had already threatened one after Ben Stokes chose to bat first, losing their entire top three in 13 overs on a flat track. Ben Duckett (27) and Zak Crawley (16) started positively, sprinting a succession of early singles and pinging a couple of looseners to the ropes.
Duckett cranked things up a notch with four boundaries in the space of nine deliveries from attack leader Mitchell Starc but fell to the 10th ball of that sequence. It was a frustratingly familiar scene, fending away from his body to a ball he might easily have left to feeding Starc his 27th success of an outstanding series.
With one innings left, the out-of-sorts left-hander has a top score of 34 and a series average of half that. Incoming batter Jacob Bethell made an important 40 in the fourth-innings chase at Melbourne last week but remains a raw prospect in the pivotal number three position and has yet to prove he can set up a game.
Australia applied the squeeze as he took 15 balls to get off the mark and the loss of Crawley, composed until the nagging Michael Neser bagged him lbw, increased the size of his burden.
Bethell was unable to make a dent, nicking an expert lifter on 10 as Scott Boland probed away on a good length. Another wicket would have left England in serious distress but their fourth-wicket pair clung on despite a taxing start.
Root swiped fresh air as he drove with flourish at his first ball and survived an early lbw appeal, while Brook had minor scares off both edges before he got going. But they soon found some rhythm, doubling the score before lunch with the expensive Green donating generously.
They added another 97 in the afternoon, Root discovering his natural tempo as he threaded the ball cleverly in the gaps behind square and showed off his timing with some clean cover drives. By the time he passed 50 in 65 balls, he was manipulating the field with ease.
Brook was less secure, repeatedly taking on Australia’s short-ball tempters. He flashed one thick edge over the cordon, mis-hit just past Starc’s follow through and toe-ended a pull that landed agonisingly between three converging catchers.
But those mis-steps were mixed with the kind of justified swagger that makes him such a handful. With the field sat back he picked of handful of easy singles before turning on the jets with furious blast for six off Green that almost hit the big replay screen.
With the leg-side loaded he showed off his range, stepping down and crashing four up and over cover. Australia were glad of the break when they dark skies overpowered the floodlights, though the crowd seemed disgruntled to see the battle brought to a premature close.
