Follow the action from day two of the fifth Ashes test in Sydney<\/p>\n
Day one report<\/p>\n
Joe Root and Harry Brook tamed Australia\u2019s all-pace attack with an unbroken 154-run stand on Sunday to rescue England and give them the upper hand after a rain-hit day one of the fifth and final Ashes test.<\/p>\n
Batting after skipper Ben Stokes won the toss at a sold-out Sydney Cricket Ground, they steered the tourists to 211-3 when bad light forced the players from the field just before tea.<\/p>\n
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n Subsequent rain and the risk of lightning made no further play possible, with stumps called an hour early.<\/p>\n Root was not out 72 and Brook on 78 after coming together with England tottering at 57-3 following the wickets of Ben Duckett (27), Zak Crawley (16) and Jacob Bethell (10) before lunch.<\/p>\n The world\u2019s top two-ranked batsmen set about counter-attacking on a decent batting pitch providing little movement for the bowlers.<\/p>\n Both brought up hard-fought half-centuries and, with dark storm clouds looming, kept the scoreboard ticking over at a fast clip.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in very good position, obviously three down at the end of the end of play,\u201d said Brook. <\/p>\n \u201cHopefully we can make the most of that going into tomorrow.\u201d <\/p>\n England came into the game buoyed by a four-wicket win inside two days in the previous test in Melbourne, desperate to keep the momentum going. <\/p>\n That victory snapped a 15-year winless streak in Australia but came too late to save the series, with the hosts retaining the urn by winning in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.<\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n The day began with a tribute to first responders at the Bondi mass shooting last month that killed 15 people, with huge cheers when hero Ahmed Al Ahmed, who tackled one of the gunmen, appeared. <\/p>\n Duckett was lively when play started, crunching five boundaries from Mitchell Starc in a quickfire 27 off 24 balls. <\/p>\n But England\u2019s tormentor-in-chief Mitchell Starc had the last laugh, enticing an outside edge from an angled ball to wicketkeeper Alex Carey at full stretch. <\/p>\n It was the fifth time Starc has bagged Duckett this series. <\/p>\n Crawley was next to go, trapped lbw by Michael Neser, with both openers back in the sheds by the first drinks break and the tourists in trouble on 51-2. <\/p>\n A cautious Bethell took 15 balls to get off the mark and never looked confident. <\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n He departed after prodding at a moving delivery from Scott Boland that took a faint edge to Carey as England fell to 57-3.<\/p>\n Root joined Brook at the crease and they began to rebuild.<\/p>\n They rotated the strike well and punished any loose balls with Root bringing up his 67th half-century, and the 100-partnership, with a single off Webster.<\/p>\n Only Indian great Sachin Tendulkar, with 68, has scored more test fifties.<\/p>\n Brook was fortunate to survive on 45 when he slogged Starc and the ball dropped between three chasing fielders. <\/p>\n But he kept his composure to reach a 15th half-century four balls after Root, cracking Webster through the covers for a boundary. <\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n – AFP<\/p>\n