England's star batters, Joe Root and Harry Brook, staged a magnificent recovery on Sunday, steering their team to a commanding position after early setbacks on a weather-disrupted opening day of the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Root-Brook Partnership Steadies the Ship
After England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat first, the visitors found themselves in a spot of bother at 57 for 3 by lunch. The Australian pace attack, featuring Mitchell Starc, Michael Neser, and Scott Boland, struck early to dismiss the top order. Ben Duckett (27), Zak Crawley (16), and Jacob Bethell (10) were all sent back to the pavilion, putting pressure on the English middle order.
However, the world's top two-ranked batters, Joe Root and Harry Brook, responded with a counter-attacking partnership that completely changed the complexion of the day's play. They combined for an unbroken stand of 154 runs, blending caution with aggression on a pitch that offered little to the bowlers.
Rain Plays Spoilsport in Sydney
The duo's efforts took England to 211 for 3 before bad light forced an early tea break. Subsequently, persistent rain and the threat of lightning meant no further play was possible, leading to stumps being called an hour early. Root remained unbeaten on 72, bringing up his 67th Test half-century, a tally only surpassed by India's Sachin Tendulkar (68). Brook was not out on 78, having notched his 15th Test fifty.
"We're in a very good position, obviously three down at the end of the play," said Harry Brook after the day's action. "Hopefully we can make the most of that going into tomorrow. It was a good pitch. When I first went in it felt like the bounce was fairly steep. But then it started to get a little bit lower and slower."
Team Selections and Broader Context
England entered this Test match buoyed by a dramatic four-wicket victory inside two days in the previous Test in Melbourne. While that win ended a 15-year winless streak in Australia, it came too late to reclaim the Ashes urn, which Australia had already retained with victories in Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide.
Australia sprung a major selection surprise by opting for an all-pace attack, bringing in all-rounder Beau Webster for fast bowler Jhye Richardson and overlooking off-spinner Todd Murphy. This marked the first time in nearly 140 years that Australia fielded a Test side in Sydney without a frontline spinner.
"Hate doing it," admitted Australian skipper Steve Smith about the decision. "But if we keep producing wickets that we don't think are going to spin and seam is going to play a big part... you kind of get pushed into a corner." England made one change, with seamer Matthew Potts replacing the injured Gus Atkinson.
The day began on a somber note with a tribute to the first responders of last month's Bondi mass shooting, which claimed 15 lives. The tribute drew loud applause, especially when hero Ahmed Al Ahmed, who tackled one of the gunmen, was acknowledged.
