SYDNEY: Joe Root struck a magnificent 160 to underpin England’s first-innings total of 384 before Australia responded with 166 for two on the second day of the fifth and final Ashes test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday.
With England’s hopes of reclaiming the urn already extinguished after defeats in the first three tests, the tourists nevertheless continued to display the resilience that powered their victory in Melbourne last week. Root was the embodiment of that spirit, batting with control and clarity on a surface far more benign than the fiery pitch seen in the previous test.
The former captain pieced together a series of partnerships that might have transformed England’s fortunes had the series still been alive. Facing 242 deliveries, Root struck 15 fours, rarely chasing flamboyance, and reached his 41st test century by neatly punching two runs straight back past the bowler — his second hundred in Australia following his Brisbane effort earlier in the series.
“Looking at the surface and how it could potentially play out here, maximizing that first-innings score was always going to be important,” Root said. “There’s so much to play for throughout the next three days and we find ourselves very much in the game.”
Australia found breakthroughs late in the session when Michael Neser, the pick of the bowlers with 4-60, produced an athletic return catch to dismiss Root before bowling Josh Tongue two balls later to wrap up England’s innings shortly before tea.
