Fifth Ashes Test, Sydney Cricket Ground (day one of five)
England 211-3: Brook 78*, Root 72*
Australia: Still to beat
England won the toss
A promising start to England's fifth Ashes Test against Australia was cut short by poor light and rain on the opening day in Sydney.
Joe Root and Harry Brooke had the tourists on 211-3 as the weather came in and wiped out the evening session at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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A pair of fourth wickets added an unbroken 154, England's highest partnership of the series, which they lost 3–1.
After captain Ben Stokes won the toss for the fourth time on tour, England were in danger of losing some friendly terms as they slumped to 57-3.
Ben Duckett was behind Mitchell Starc with 27 points, Zak Crawley beat Michael Neser by 16lb and Jacob Bethell needlessly poked Scott Boland with 10 points.
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The visitors lost two wickets for six runs, with Root and Brook both out for the score, with only England's top two bowlers combining.
Root was brilliant despite his 72 not out and has the ability to score his second hundred in this country.
Brook, 78, is approaching his first Ashes hundred in his 10th Test against Australia.
Apart from the first over, when they picked up three wickets in the first 13 overs, the hosts were all wrong with the ball. By excluding non-spinner Todd Murphy, Australia have refused to select a specialist spinner for the Sydney Test for the first time since 1888.
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Poor light stopped play at 2:55 p.m. local time, followed by downpours. Despite dry weather and improved light, play was abandoned after two hours and half of the day's 90 overs remained unbeaten.
Sydney spectacle stirs up dead rubber
After England's two-day victory in the fourth Test in Melbourne, Australia coach Andrew MacDonald dispelled some of the anticipation for the final by saying that “the Ashes are over” and noted that these teams were now simply playing for points in the World Test Championship.
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Competitions in Sydney are devoid of any degree of risk. The Ashes were decided after just three Tests and England escaped humiliation with a clean 5-0 victory.
However, this competition could have a huge impact on the future of England's hierarchy. The defeat will put more pressure on head coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key. Even victory may not save both if they cannot agree on a path forward.
And the feeling of the spectacle was created by the bright atmosphere of a sunny Sydney Sunday morning. Before the game, heroes and first responders to the Bondi Beach attack last month were given a guard of honor by both teams in a heartbreaking moment marked by standing ovations from the packed crowd.
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At the end of one of England's most disappointing Ashes tours in recent memory, Root and Brooke's battle may only add to the disappointment of previous poor performances. Too little, too late.
However, a 3-2 defeat is more respectable than a 4-1 defeat and England made a brilliant start to their attempt to reduce the deficit further.
Ruth and Brooke save England
For all the confusion over how the pitch might play – neither side ultimately selected a specialist spinner – there was no doubt that England had peered over the precipice again just over an hour later.
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From then on, Root and Brooke excelled, finding the perfect pace for the Test batting that had eluded England for much of the tour.
Root initially scored faster. The Australian attack was too wide too often and England's No. 4 used cuts, slick slides and covers.
Brook showed poor results on this tour, regularly causing himself to fall. On this occasion he survived the Australians' attempts to play on his patience, albeit with a bit of luck.
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His first boundary was Boland's top-edge take which went through the slips. After lunch, Starc bowled bouncers with six fielders on the boundary and 45-year-old Brook was lucky when there was an error between three players.
But there were other high-class shots, including Cameron Green's lucky strike for six points. Greene responded to ask questions of Brook, who began to look upset when the lights came on.
Australia goes against history
The SCG has historically been the most spinner-friendly ground in Australia, with three of the top four Test wicket-takers at the venue being slow bowlers.
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But in recent years Sydney have gradually lost their reputation for helping spinners and this series will end as the Ashes with the fewest wickets ever taken by tweakers.
Due to Murphy's inaction, Australia's stand-in captain Smith said “I hate to do this” but the conditions had “backed him into a corner”. By selecting all-rounder Beau Webster over seamer Jay Richardson, the hosts at least have an uninterrupted option.
Australia's bowlers were relentless for most of the series and this was the day their accuracy finally deserted them. Behind three front seamers, Green and Webster bowled a total of 10 overs that were worth 68 runs.
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Starc swung the new ball, but as it lost its shine, the surface became of little use. There could be a chance of variable bounce later in the match, which would benefit England's late bowling.
And after two two-day Tests in the series, England's blow and bad weather in Sydney at least raise the prospect of this match using up most of the allotted time.
