Joe Root and Harry Brook stole the spotlight on Sunday, defying Australia’s fierce pace attack with an unbeaten 154-run partnership and putting England ahead on a rain-soaked opening day of the fifth and final Ashes Test.
After England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss at a packed Sydney Cricket Ground, Root and Brook took charge, guiding the visitors to 211-3. Play was halted just before tea due to bad light, and heavy rain plus lightning threats meant stumps were called an hour earlier than scheduled.
Root was holding steady at 72 not out, while Brook had powered his way to 78 when they came together at the crease. England were in crisis at 57-3, with Ben Duckett (27), Zak Crawley (16), and Jacob Bethell (10) all falling before lunch.
But the world’s top two-ranked batsmen went on the offensive, making the most of a pitch that offered little for bowlers. Both dug deep for their half-centuries and, as storm clouds gathered, kept the runs coming at a brisk pace.
“We’re in a very good position, being just three down at the end of the day,” Brook commented. “Hopefully we can make the most of it tomorrow. The pitch was good. Early on the bounce was quite sharp, but then it got lower and slower—overall, it’s a nice wicket.”
England walked into the match on a high, coming off a four-wicket win in Melbourne that ended their 15-year winless run in Australia. However, the series was already out of reach after Australia clinched victories in Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide to retain the Ashes.
Australia threw a curveball by picking all-rounder Beau Webster over fast bowler Jhye Richardson, leaving off-spinner Todd Murphy out of the lineup.
Incredibly, this marks the first time in nearly 140 years that Australia hasn’t fielded a specialist spinner for a Sydney Test. Aussie skipper Steve Smith admitted, “I hate doing it. But if the pitch isn’t going to spin and seam and cracks are going to matter, you get pushed into a corner.”
England made just one change, bringing in seamer Matthew Potts for injured Gus Atkinson, with Shoaib Bashir missing out on his fifth straight Test. Their day started solemnly, with a tribute to first responders of the Bondi mass shooting last month, and loud cheers for Ahmed Al Ahmed, the
