Australia vs. England 5th Ashes Test Live Cricket Score: Joe Root and Harry Brook staged a steady recovery after England lost three wickets in a torrid opening session of the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday. At lunch, Root was unbeaten on 31 and Brook on 23 as England reached 114 for 3 after electing to bat in front of a sell-out crowd.
England’s top order struggled early on, with Ben Duckett (27), Zak Crawley (16) and Jacob Bethell (10) all dismissed. Mitchell Starc, Michael Neser and Scott Boland shared the wickets for Australia.
The visitors went into the match buoyed by a four-wicket win over two days in the previous Test in Melbourne, eager to build on the momentum. The win ended Australia’s 15-year drought but came too late to save the series, with the hosts having already retained the urn with wins in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Australia have sprung a selection surprise by giving all-rounder Beau Webster an opportunity in place of fast bowler Jhye Richardson, while off-spinner Todd Murphy has been left out. It was the first time in almost 140 years that Australia fielded a side without a specialist spinner in a Test in Sydney.
Meanwhile, England made a solitary change, bringing on seamer Matthew Potts for the injured Gus Atkinson.
Duckett looked fluent early on, smashing Starc for five boundaries with a brisk 27 off 24 balls. However, Starc had the final say, evoking an outside edge with an angled delivery that keeper Alex Carey collected at full length – the fifth time the left-hander had dismissed Duckett in the series.
Crawley soon followed, Neser caught the plumb line. Although he reviewed the decision, it was always heading for a dismissal, leaving England 51 for 2 at the first drinks break.
Bethell endured a cautious stay, taking 15 deliveries to score his first run and never looking composed. He was dismissed for 10 after pushing a moving ball from Boland and edged Carey lightly as England slumped to 57 for 3.
Root then joined Brook and the pair knelt to guide England safely into the break, adding an unbroken 57-run stand to stabilize the innings.
The day began with a tribute to the first responders following the recent mass shooting in Bondi, which left 15 dead, and drew thunderous applause as hero Ahmed Al Ahmed, who tackled one of the attackers, was honoured.
