The yin-and-yang of Harry Brook and Joe Root has headlined England’s best batting day of the Ashes, with the pair taking them to 211-3 before a storm hit the SCG on day one of the fifth Test.
Their side down 3-1 in the series and the Ashes decided, Brook and Root’s unbeaten 154-run counter-attacking stand helped rescue England from 57 for 3 on Sunday. The partnership is already England’s best of the tour, with Root unbeaten on 72 and Brook 78 when umpires took players from the field just before tea.
Rain and lightning stopped players returning before the day was abandoned under brighter skies and with no rain falling at 5pm. It came as Australia went without a spinner at the SCG for the first time in 138 years, with Todd Murphy left out and Beau Webster in the XI for Jhye Richardson.
Brook has had a miserable tour after arriving as England’s best cause for hope of a first series win in Australia in 15 years, but Sunday was everything he is known for.
The 26-year-old’s intent was always clear, even if his execution was at times questionable. He jumped down the wicket and left his first ball from Scott Boland, then inside-edged the next down to fine leg to get off the mark.
Harry Brook bats on the way to reaching 78 mnot out day one of the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Photograph: Robbie Stephenson/PA
In the three hours of batting that followed, Brook charged the quicks again at different times, gave himself room and took on the short ball with fielders back. At one stage former England captain Michael Vaughan, in commentary, accused the right-hander of batting as if he simply got bored, deciding to take on Australia’s short ball plan.
Nowhere was that better summed up than when he picked up a Cameron Green delivery and half scooped, half hooked, it over fine leg for six. On the next delivery, Brook premeditated by backing away and giving himself room, before having to get the bat down to defend a fuller, straighter ball.
Still, there were also classical shots, including a late-cut off Michael Neser that went to the boundary and a square-drive off Beau Webster to raise 50.
Root still scored quickly at the other end, but was far more controlled. He cover-drove superbly, late-cut well and produced an array of offside strokeplay.
After bringing up his first century in Australia in Brisbane, the world’s No.1-ranked batter looked well set to do likewise in Sydney.
Playing without a spinner at the SCG for the first time since 1887-88, Australia varied their fields and asked Green to execute the bulk of the short bowling. Mitchell Starc, Boland and Neser took wickets in the opening session, as England fell from 35 for 0 after Ben Duckett’s hot start to 57 for 3.
With Starc struggling to get his footing in his delivery stride, Duckett hit the left-armer for two straight boundaries before edging his next ball behind on 27. Zak Crawley (16) was lbw to Neser trying to play across the line, before Boland had Jacob Bethell caught behind for 10.
But from there it was the Root and Brook show, putting England in position to go after their best batting innings of the summer come Monday.
