Joe Root was unbeaten on 72 and Harry Brook on 78 at the end of Day 1 (Getty Images) NEW DELHI: Joe Root and Harry Brook blunted Australia’s all-pace attack with an unbroken 154-run stand on Sunday, rescuing England and putting them in a strong position on a rain-soaked opening day of the fifth and final Ashes Test. Batting after captain Ben Stokes won the toss at a sold-out Sydney Cricket Ground, the pair guided the visitors to 211 for 3 before bad light forced the players off the field just before tea.Subsequent rain and the threat of lightning meant no play was possible, the stumps being called an hour early.
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Root was unbeaten on 72 and Brook on 78 after the duo combined with England struggling at 57 for 3 after the dismissal of Ben Duckett (27), Zak Crawley (16) and Jacob Bethell (10) before lunch.The world’s best batsmen in two positions went on the counter-attack on the field and offered little help to the bowlers, bringing up hard-fought half-centuries and keeping the scoreboard moving despite dark storm clouds gathering overhead.“We’re in a very good position, it’s obviously three at the end of the game,” Brook said.“Hopefully we’ll make the most of it tomorrow.“It was a good pitch,” he added.“When I first went into it, I felt like the bounce was pretty steep. But then it started to get a little lower and slower, and it generally felt like a good wicket.”England went into the match buoyed by a four-wicket victory over two days in the previous Test in Melbourne and were eager to carry the momentum forward. The win ended Australia’s 15-year winless streak but came too late to save the series, with the hosts having already retained the urn with wins in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.Australia sprung a selection surprise by fielding all-rounder Beau Webster in place of fast bowler Jhye Richardson, while off-spinner Todd Murphy was overlooked.It was the first time in nearly 140 years that Australia were without a front spinner in a Test in Sydney.“I hate it,” Australian captain Steve Smith said.“But if we keep producing wickets that we don’t think will spin and the seam plays a big role and the cracks play a big role, you’re going to be kind of backed into a corner.England made one change, bringing in seamer Matthew Potts for the injured Gus Atkinson, with leading man Shoaib Bashir missing his fifth Test in a row.The day began with a tribute to the first responders following last month’s mass shooting in Bondi, which left 15 dead, and drew loud applause when hero Ahmed Al Ahmed – who tackled one of the gunmen – appeared.Duckett looked fluent early on, with Mitchell Starc smashing five boundaries in a brisk 27 off 24 balls. But Starc had the final say as he induced an outside edge from an angled delivery that keeper Alex Carey took at full length – the left-hander dismissed Duckett for the fifth time in the series.Crawley was next to fall, trapped lbw by Michael Neser, leaving England 51 for 2 at the first drinks break.Bethell endured a tentative stay, taking 15 balls to score his first over before slotting past Scott Boland to Carey as England slumped to 57 for 3.Root then joined Brook at the crease and the pair set about rebuilding. They effectively turned the strike and punished the loose deliveries, with Root opening his 67th Test half-century – and 100-run partnership – with a single from Webster.Only the great Indian great Sachin Tendulkar, at 68, has scored more Test fifties.Brook enjoyed a bit of luck on 45 when he struck with Starc and the ball landed safely between three converging fielders. He then kept his composure and reached his 15th Test half-century four balls after Root by smashing Webster through covers for a boundary.
