Root hits masterful century for England before Head leads Australia fightback

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The Richies were out in force for the final time on the second day at the Sydney Cricket Ground, an entire block decked out in either cream, bone, white, off-white, ivory, or beige. Bathed in sunshine, flags fluttering over the two heritage-listed pavilions, the backdrop for Joe Root’s 41st Test century was absolutely marvellous.

This has not been the case for Root here over the years. In 2014 the SCG witnessed the one and only time he has been dropped by England. In 2018 he made scores of 83 and 58 not out here but ended up on a drip due to the extreme heat, his side having crumbled to a 4-0 series defeat. Four years later came a duck and 23, England saving the Test to dodge the whitewash but his captaincy long since sunk.

At the fourth time of asking, Root will now leave the harbour city with happy memories. Resuming on 72 first thing, England’s master batter amassed 160 from 242 balls, propping up a total of 384 all out in 97.3 overs while celebrating his second century of the tour and his first in Australia against the red ball. Root is now level with Ricky Ponting for Test hundreds, with only Jacques Kallis on 45, and Sachin Tendulkar with 51 above him on this list of all-time greats.

Even with the Ashes gone, this was Root in excelsis, everything wonderfully in sync, the ball played late under his eyes and 15 fours picked off in largely frictionless fashion. It took a sparkling return catch from Michael Neser amid figures of four for 60 to shut him down, Root walking off to a standing ovation. Who knows, even having turned 35 a week ago, he may well be back here in 2030.

Yet by the close Root was off the field with a sore back and the complexion of the day had changed in a manner that summed up plenty of England’s malfunctioning tour. Wickets had tumbled around him – they lost seven wickets for 173 in two sessions – and then when it was England’s turn to bowl on a surface that had earlier nipped, the radar went awry and catches went down. Australia, driven by Travis Head’s unbeaten 91, closed on 166 for two from just 34.1 overs.

Joe Root runs from the field reaching for his back on day two of the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG

This final session was not dissimilar to England’s deflating second day at the Gabba, with lines and lengths missed and Head happily taking out the trash. Doing his best to challenge Mitchell Starc for the Compton-Miller medal, the left-hander ransacked 15 fours that, with Marnus Labuschagne making 48 from 68, had shrunk England’s lead to just 218 runs going into the third day.

The two drops were not overly costly per se, Jake Weatherald reprieved on nine and 15 before falling to Ben Stokes on 21 for his latest lbw. Root tipped a tough one over the bar at slip – possibly the cause of his back problem – while Ben Duckett grassed a low chance at cover that definitely should have stuck. But the two bowlers denied, Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse, ended up trudging off at stumps with combined figures of 16 overs, none for 101.

Travis Head celebrates reaching a half century for Australia on day two of the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG

The frustration was summed up by Stokes swapping words with Labuschagne before teasing a thick edge to gully, while England’s total had been shown to be decent but far from compelling. And though Harry Brook nibbled behind on 84 to end a stand of 169 with Root, and Starc removed Stokes for a duck with a beauty, this chiefly came down to a collapse of five for 61 either side of the second new ball – not that the lower order should have been exposed to it.

England were 323 for five in the 75th over, lunch was approaching, and Labuschagne was sending down medium-paced bouncers to a spread field. Step forward Jamie Smith – or rather back in this instance – with a cross-batted tennis smash that plopped straight into the hands of Boland stood around 15m in from the cover boundary. Labuschagne beamed, England’s supporters recoiled.

Smith had been one half of a stand with Root worth 94 runs and finished as the third highest scorer on 46. On paper, not bad. Yet it was an innings in keeping with his tour at large, seven crunched boundaries unable to mask the lack of permanence. It should also have been cut down on 22, Cameron Green overstepping when Smith drilled one to cover and seeing an edge next ball fly past first slip.

Thereafter, despite Will Jacks chiselling out 27 to initially deny Starc and Boland, Neser and Green kept England below 400 before Head got the Richies rocking.