Ace England batter Joe Root played an outstanding knock, scoring 160 to guide England to a total of 384 in the fifth and final Ashes Test on Monday. Star Australia batter Travis Head then countered with
a rapid, unbeaten 91 to keep Australia in the contest.
Root’s remarkable innings, his 41st century matching Ricky Ponting’s record, ended with a spectacular caught-and-bowled by Michael Neser, who achieved figures of 4-60.
Australia had to navigate the final session of day two at a packed Sydney Cricket Ground. They lost Jake Weatherald (21) and Marnus Labuschagne (48) but reached 166-2 by stumps, with nightwatchman Neser on one, alongside Head.
Weatherald, needing a significant score to silence his critics, failed again since his debut in the first Test in Perth. He was dropped twice in three balls, first by Root and then by Ben Duckett, before Ben Stokes trapped him lbw.
Head, having already scored two centuries in the series like Root, was in excellent form. He hit three boundaries in the second over, bowled by Matthew Potts, who was replacing the injured Gus Atkinson and continued at a fast pace, reaching his fifty off 55 balls.
Labuschagne also showed good form, hitting seven boundaries before edging Stokes to Jacob Bethell at gully.
Australia leads the series 3-1 and has already retained the Ashes, while England is keen for another win after their victory in the previous Test in Melbourne.
England resumed at 211-3 but lost Harry Brook (84), Stokes (0), and Jamie Smith (46) before lunch. Will Jacks (27), Brydon Carse (1), and Josh Tongue (0), along with Root, fell in the second session.
The day belonged to Root, who began on 72 and reached a near-flawless hundred off 146 deliveries, reaffirming his status as an all-time great. He started the series under pressure, having failed to score a hundred in Australia during three previous Ashes tours.
Root ended the drought with an unbeaten 138 in the day-night Test in Brisbane and his performance in Sydney tied him with Australia’s Ponting on the all-time century-makers’ list with 41.
Only India’s Sachin Tendulkar (51) and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis (45) have more Test hundreds.
Root and Brook had come together with England struggling at 57-3 on Sunday, both aiming for big scores on an ideal batting pitch. However, Brook only added six to his overnight 78 before edging a Scott Boland delivery to Steve Smith at slip, ending a 169-run partnership, the best by either team in the series, surpassing Head and Alex Carey’s 162 in Adelaide.
Stokes lasted only 11 balls before faintly edging Mitchell Starc to Carey. Jamie Smith survived a risky moment when he chipped Cameron Green to Labuschagne at cover on 22, but was saved by a no-ball.
He added another 24 runs before Labuschagne dismissed him in his first over.
The run rate slowed significantly after lunch when the new ball was taken, but Root persisted, reaching 150 for the 17th time, just one behind Don Bradman and three short of Tendulkar.
He and Jacks added 52 for the seventh wicket until Jacks edged to Green in the gully off Neser. Root was the ninth man out, followed by Tongue without any addition to the score.
(With AFP Inputs)
