Root, Brook steady England on curtailed opening day at SCG
Joe Root and Harry Brook led England's recovery on a rain-hit opening day of the final Ashes Test at the SCG. After England slipped to 57 for 3, the pair added an unbroken 154-run stand for the fourth wicket to take the visitors past 200. However, only 45 overs were possible on the day as bad light and rain forced an early close, with England finishing on 211 for 3.
After opting to bat, England reached Lunch at 114 for 3 after a session that oscillated between early promise and familiar fragility. The opening half-hour was largely unremarkable, barring Ben Duckett's intent against Mitchell Starc, whom he drove and clipped for five boundaries. But as has been the pattern this series, Starc had the final say, drawing Duckett into a poke outside off to find the edge. Wickets then fell in a cluster around the drinks break: Zak Crawley was trapped lbw by a sharp in-seamer from Michael Neser, and Jacob Bethell nicked Scott Boland soon after.
From there, Root and Brook steadied the innings with a measured, largely untroubled stand. Australia's seamers, while still finding occasional movement, struggled for sustained accuracy, allowing the Yorkshire pair to settle into a sensible rhythm. Root played late and with soft hands, while Brook mixed caution with the odd flourish, including a crisp extra-cover drive off Cameron Green.
Bad light brought an early Tea, but not before Root and Brook had firmly wrested control of the session with an unbroken 150-plus stand. On a surface offering little beyond occasional nibble, the pair batted through Australia's seam-heavy plans with growing authority, taking England to 211 for 3. Root was the picture of assurance, compact and decisive, as he raised his fifty with minimal fuss. Brook mixed elegance with aggression, bringing up his own half-century with a flashing drive and later launching Green for a towering pull.
Australia tried rotating their quicks and even resorted to short-ball tactics, but beyond Starc's sporadic menace, there was little sustained threat. Meanwhile, Brook's progress, though productive, was not without adventure. A top-edged pull dropped safely between three fielders, and there were a few ambitious slashes that beat both bat and keeper, yet such moments were absorbed within an otherwise commanding display. Root, by contrast, barely put a foot wrong, consistently picking gaps and ensuring the scoring rate never stalled.
As clouds gathered and the light deteriorated, the umpires brought out the light meter, drawing boos from the crowd before Tea was taken early with rain threatening. The third session was initially delayed by poor light before rain set in, and the wait continued. But there was no further play for the day, with conditions failing to improve and Stumps eventually called an hour early.
Brief scores: England 211/3 (Harry Brook 78*, Joe Root 72*; Michael Neser 1-36) vs Australia.
