Joe Root equals Ricky Ponting before Australia fightback

Daily Update, Sports

The English batter, who is nearing 14,000 runs in the format, joined Ponting who was in attendance at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Joe Root

Summarizing on 72 after play was called early on day one, Root continued his push with little fuss in spite of a better bowling effort from the hosts who were also aided by a more inconsistent surface.

Joe Root went level with Ricky Ponting in equal-third in the all-time men’s Test century list, bringing up his 41st hundred on day two in Sydney before Travis Head led Australia’s fightback to leave the fifth Test finely positioned at the end of day two.

Root watched Harry Brook (84), Ben Stokes (0) and Jamie Smith (46) fall at the other end, though carried on to walk off at lunch on 138 not out.

In the second session of the day Root reached the 150 mark, and was eventually dismissed for 160 by an athletic catch and bowled from Michael Neser.

It’s the second century for Root on the tour who had curiously not achieved the magical mark in 14 Test matches held in Australia before the current series.

England were bowled out for 384, with the Australian opening pair of Travis Head and Jake Weatherald putting together a half-century opening stand in response.

Ben Stokes broke the association by dismissing Weatherald in the 13th over of the Australian innings. Head however, continued to lead the charge for the hosts with a flamboyant knock, well supported by Marnus Labuschagne (48).

Labuschagne fell two short of his half century as Stokes struck again just before the close of play to wrestle some momentum back for England as Australia ended the day with the score of 166/2 with Head unbeaten on 91.

The tourists are currently 3-1 down in the five-Test Ashes, although a win in Sydney would give the English 12 vital ICC World Test Championship points as they strive to move from seventh in the nine-team standings.

Ashes schedule:

First Test: Perth Stadium, Nov 21-22 (Australia won by eight wickets)
Second Test: Gabba, December 4-7 (Australia won by eight wickets)
Third Test: Adelaide Oval, December 17-21 (Australia won by 82 runs)
Fourth Test: MCG, Dec 26-30 (England won by 4 wickets)
Fifth Test: SCG, January 4-8

Australia‘s bowlers struck at critical moments on Day 2 of the Sydney Test against England, with Michael Neser claiming four wickets in the first innings to keep England under pressure. His standout moment came with the dismissal of Joe Root, who was the highest scorer for the visitors, scoring a masterful 160.

Root, who brought up his 41st Test hundred earlier in the day, is never easy to dislodge, and Neser was quick to acknowledge the challenge posed by the great England.

“He’s a difficult one to bowl to, especially when he’s in that touch,” he said after the end of day’s play.

Root hits masterful century for England before Head leads Australia fightback
Fifth Ashes Test; day two: Australia 166-2, England 384
Root makes 160 but hosts’ opener helps reduce lead to 218

Ali Martin at Sydney Cricket Ground

The Richies were out in force on an eventful second day at the Sydney Cricket Ground, an entire block of supporters decked out in either cream, bone, white, off-white, ivory, or beige. Bathed in sunshine, flags fluttering over the two heritage-listed pavilions, the backdrop for Joe Root’s 41st Test hundred was absolutely marvelous.

This has not been the case for Root here over the years. In 2014 the SCG witnessed the one and only time it has been dropped by England. In 2018 he made scores of 83 and 58 not out here but ended up on a drip due to extreme heat, his side having crumbled to a 4-0 series defeat. Four years later came a duck and 24, England saved the Test to dodge the whitewash but his captaincy long since sunk.

Australia 166-2 after England reach 384 on day two of fifth Ashes Test – as it happened

But at the fourth time of asking, Root will now leave the harbor city with some happier memories. Resuming on 72 first thing, England’s master batter crafted 160 from 242 balls, propping up a total of 384 all out in 97.3 overs while celebrating his second century of the tour and his first in Australia against the red ball. Root is now level with Ricky Ponting for Test hundreds, with only Jacques Kallis on 45, and Sachin Tendulkar with 51 above him on this list of all-time greats.

Even with the Ashes gone, this was Root in excelsis, everything wonderfully in sync, the ball played late under his eyes and 15 fours picked off in largely frictionless fashion. It took a sparkling return catch from Michael Neser amid figures of four for 60 to shut him down, Root walking off to a standing ovation. Who knows, even having turned 35 a week ago, Sydney may see Root again in 2030.

Although at the close Root was off the field with cramps in the lower back and the day had changed in a way that said plenty about England’s tour. Wickets had fallen around him – seven for 173 lost across two sessions – and then when it was England’s turn to bowl on a surface with some nip and variable bounce, the radar went awry and catches went down. Australia, driven by Travis Head’s unbeaten 91 from 87, reached 166 for two after 34.1 breakneck overs.

This final session was not dissimilar to England’s deflating second day at the Gabba: lines and lengths missed and Head happily taking out the garbage with that scraping cut shot. Doing his best to challenge Mitchell Starc for the Compton-Miller medal, the left-hander sent 15 fours scorching across the outfield that, with Marnus Labuschagne making 48, shrunk England’s lead to 218 runs heading into day three.

The two drops were not overly costly per se, Jake Weatherald replicated on nine and 15 before falling to Ben Stokes on 21 for his latest lbw.Root tipped a tough one over the bar at slip – possibly the cause of his back problem – while Ben Duckett grassed a low chance at cover that should definitely have stuck. But the two denied seamers, Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse, ended up trudging off at stumps with combined figures of 16 overs, none for 101.