On a grass-covered pitch, England recovered from a poor start as Joe Root and Harry Brook produced a superb partnership worth more than 150 runs.
With fresh grass on the wicket and both teams boasting strong pace attacks, the first hour belonged entirely to the bowlers. Three wickets fell quickly, raising fears of yet another two-day Test as the ball moved sharply. But Joe Root and Harry Brook soon changed the narrative. Counter-attacking with confidence and flair, the pair weathered the storm and dragged England out of trouble with a flurry of strokes.
Rain and poor light limited play to just 45 overs on the opening day of the final Ashes Test. By stumps, England had reached 211 for 3.
Root was unbeaten on 72 from 103 balls, while Brook remained not out on 78 from 92 deliveries.
Their unbroken stand of 154 runs is the second-highest partnership of the series, which has largely been a nightmare for batters.
After heavy criticism of the Melbourne pitch that produced a two-day Test, there was significant curiosity around the Sydney Cricket Ground surface. Curator Adam Lewis left plenty of grass on the 22 yards, but unlike Melbourne, it did not turn out to be a batter’s nightmare.
Neither side included a specialist spinner in their playing XI. Remarkably, Australia played at their most spin-friendly Test venue without a specialist spinner for the first time in 138 years. They made one change from the previous match, leaving out Jhye Richardson and bringing in pace-bowling all-rounder Beau Webster.
England, after winning the toss, made a promising start that did not last long. Ben Duckett struck five boundaries but was dismissed for 27 off 24 balls, giving Australia their first breakthrough once again through Mitchell Starc.
Soon after, Michael Neser removed Zak Crawley for 16. In the very next over, Scott Boland sent back Jacob Bethell for 10, leaving England struggling at 57 for 3.
That was when Root and Brook took control. Launching a counter-attack, both batters scored freely and seized the momentum. Root reached his fifty off 65 balls, while Brook brought up his half-century from just 63 deliveries.
Australia’s pace-heavy attack, featuring three specialist fast bowlers and two pace-bowling all-rounders, failed to trouble the English duo for long spells.
On the second day, Root will resume with hopes of scoring his second century of the series, while Brook will be eyeing his first hundred in what has been a frustrating series for batters.
Brief Score
- England 1st Innings: 211/3 in 45 overs
(Crawley 16, Duckett 27, Bethell 10, Root 72*, Brook 78*; Starc 12-1-53-1, Neser 10-0-36-1, Boland 13-0-48-1, Green 8-0-57-0, Webster 2-0-11-0)
