Joe Root retired ill as Australia thrashed England by an innings and 123 runs to complete a thumping 4-0 win
Steve Smith receives the Ashes trophy, beckons his team onto podium and holds it up in triumph. “Come on!” he shouts. Come on indeed. Australia have stuffed England, and the 4-0 scoreline flatters them not one jot. They’re an excellent side, with a dream bowling attack and an all-time-great batsman.
That’s it for our Ashes liveblog. On behalf of all the OBO writers, thanks heaps for your company throughout the series. Even for an England fan, it’s been great fun. Sort of.
The Compton-Miller Medal for Player of the Series goes to Steve Smith
“It’s been a great couple of months. The cricket we’ve played has been outstanding. All the bowlers have taken over 20 wickets, which is exceptional. England have played some exceptional cricket but we’ve been able to win those key moments and not let them back in the game. It’s nice to have the five Test matches without these injuries. So much work was done before the series to ensure the bowlers would be fit for the series. I’m really proud of everyone in that group.”
Joe Root is asleep in the changing-room, so Jimmy Anderson is stepping up for a chat
“We’ve been outplayed in the key moments of each game. Credit to Steve and his team, they were a far better side. They’ve got a fantastic bowling attack and all the batsmen have scored runs when the team needed them. We haven’t done that. We’ve very lucky to have such great support and we’re very grateful for them even though we’ve been beaten in this series.”
The Man of the Match is Pat Cummins
“I couldn’t have asked for much more than to get through the five Tests and win the series. It’s everything I could have asked for. To be in th thick of an Ashes series ... I’ve loved any minute of it.”
It was a fairly competitive series until the second day at Perth, when Australia really started to crush England. Anyway, there is plenty of time for post-mortems. It’s time for the players to open their faces and let some words spill out.
The players from both sides shake hands on the field. England don’t have the thousand-yard stares on, as they did at this stage in 2013-14. I don’t know whether that’s a good or bad thing. Australia have been far too powerful in these conditions, and it would have been more emphatic but for a few slow pitches.
I’m going to hand to Rob for the post-match. Racing downstairs for the press conference. Thanks for your company. Bye!
As expected, it is nine out and all out with Root not joining Curran when Anderson edges the first ball of Hazlewood’s fresh over. It’s over.
Cheers Adam, hello everyone. It’s all over after one ball: Anderson fences Hazlewood behind, Joe Root will not return to the middle, and Australia celebrate a thumping 4-0 victory.
88th over: England 180-8 (Curran 23, Anderson 2) Nathan Lyon now thrown the ball after Cummins copped a bit of tap from Cummins. He’s taken 3/50. Curran keeps on keeping on, dancing to the spinner and stroking him beautifully through cover, almost inside-out. Five more - off the helmet! How about that. Penalty runs. Very rare. End of the over then. That is drinks.
Average seamer length to numbers 8-11 this series:
Australia - 9.03 metres from stumps
England - 7.89 metres
87th over: England 171-8 (Curran 19, Anderson 2) Hazlewood gets a chance to finish it off, replacing Starc. He won’t this over though, Jimmy beaten early then under a couple. Deflects the last ball down to short leg. Drinks an over away. For those paying attention to that.
With the injuries, this Test call-up is probably two years too early for Tom Curran. But there's a lot to work with and the kind of "not on my watch" chutzpah that suggests he'll be back. #Ashes
86th over: England 171-8 (Curran 19, Anderson 2) Tom Curran! What a couple of shots they are! Beautiful off-drive off Cummins to begin the new over. Slams into the rope. But then goes one better on the back foot, admittedly backing away a bit, but makes fantastic contact over midwicket. The bouncers follow - they always do. Curran ducks into one. Ouch. Worn on his shoulder not head, thankfully. Has a smile, too. Tough lad. Nearly taken at short leg last ball, Bancroft diving to his left. But just out of his reach. They survive. 182,349 the total attendance for the match.
Day 5 SCG crowd of 17,174 means total #Ashes attendance is 867,002, behind only 1936-37's 957,550 as biggest ever. Addition of new Perth stadium in 2021-22 will give that a shake
85th over: England 163-8 (Curran 11, Anderson 2) Handy from Curran, off his hip fine for one to begin. Anderson does the best he can. You know the drill. So does he. Starc does give him something on the pads though, taken for a couple. Off the mark! 17,174 the final attendance today at the SCG.
84th over: England 160-8 (Curran 10, Anderson 0) Cummins to Jimmy. Warne saying on telly Root is asleep in the England rooms. Probably not seeing him at the fall of the next wicket, then. It’s awful for Anderson, short stuff at his body then yorkers at his toes. But does well to get behind the last one. Toughing this out. What other option is there? Barmy Army giving it the big ones, as they tend to do before certain defeat.
Trying to work out which of the England defeats are the worst of the four. Think this one might be the worst purely because they haven’t really competed in this Test from beginning to end. Others they have had a couple of sessions where they were in it.
83rd over: England 160-8 (Curran 10, Anderson 0) Bit going on here with the last couple of men out there. Really nice shot from Curran, square driving Starc to the rope and he’s into double figures. Big shout for lbw next up, but turned down. Smith nearly went for the review, but it was pitching outside leg. Rapid bouncer to finish. He’s out of the way. On TMS, Michael Vaughan is advocating starting the county cricket season earlier in the year and in the UAE on flat pitches. That’s outside the square.
“Is it just me or did Broad’s dismissal and subsequent departure have more than an air of “not my job mate”?” asks Elliot Carr-Barnsley. Bit harsh, I reckon. Not many players are keeping that out. Right?
82nd over: England 156-8 (Curran 6, Anderson 0) A leg slip and a leg gully in position for Anderson, alongside the three conventional clips. Player of the series for England? Vaughan says Malan, Dan Norcross reckons Jimmy. “He’s worked his guts out.” Brutal bouncer at the no. 11’s helmet, somehow gets out of the way. Beaten outside the off-stump to end the set. Cummins very unlucky not to bank his bag of five there. And I don’t think Starc will give him another chance for it, either.
In the last 2 Ashes tours, its always been Anderson at the end, forlornly facing a barrage of short balls. A ritual of the crushing England defeat Down Under
He was very adamant about the review, but it has clipped his glove on the way through, the thumb. That’ll do it. Another brilliant bouncer from Cummins. What a bowler.
HAS CRANE EDGED CUMMINS? Umpire says yes, Crane says no. Review.
81st over: England 156-7 (Curran 6, Crane 2) Nice clip from Crane to begin, behind square for one in response to the first delivery with the second new ball, sent down by Starc, who has replaced Lyon. Curran is into it too, slaying behind point for four then shovelling off his hip for a couple more. Starc’s yorker nearly gets underneath his bat, but he’s hanging in there. Barmy Army singing ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ in response to being half way to having Australia bat again.
80th over: England 149-7 (Curran 0, Crane 1) Crane out of Dodge with a tuck around the corner from a ball on his body. Cummins right on the mark with his short balls at Cummins. Paine is taking them head-high. New ball due. Not far away now.
Here is an update on Root, from the England camp. “Joe was feeling exhausted at the lunch break and is resting up in the dressing room. He is feeling unwell and some of the symptoms have returned. At this stage, it is unclear if he will return to bat.”
79th over: England 148-7 (Curran 0, Crane 0) Curran does what he needs to to deny Lyon a fourth wicket. A bit of debate as to whether he will keep his spot for New Zealand. Tough call. There are certainly more dynamic seamers in the England system. But at the same time, he has a bit about him.
A nice read before this all ends from Pádraig Collins on the Sydney sports desk. I’m tipping there are going to be quite a few Go-Betweens fans here. Enjoy.
Related: How I fell in love with the Go-Betweens | Pádraig Collins
Vaughan is right, this is ending quickly. Broad is gone second ball, off the glove or splice of the bat. A snorter from Cummins, deflected straight in the air. Seven down, but essentially eight with Root unlikely to bat again.
78th over: England 148-7 (Curran 0, Crane 0)
Missed a straight and full one. No review required. “He’s just fallen across it,” says Vaughan. There are a few overs until the new ball. Uh oh. “This is going to end quickly.”
77th over: England 144-5 (Bairstow 38, Curran 0) Not the setting for the sort of innings Curran played way back on morning two where he was slapping it everywhere. Feels a long time ago. Into his defensive stride to each of these Lyon deliveries. Nice.
“Here in ThongerWorld™️, this last day of The Ashes has become merely a prelude to phase one of Bristol City’s annihilation of Manchester City tomorrow night in the Carabao Cup semifinal,” begins Kim Thonger. “All outcomes are regarded as favourable omens. Root and YJB see out the day, it’s plucky underdog triumphs against adversity. They don’t, and England tail folds, it’s a sign of the favourite’s overconfidence and eventual undoing in the final battle. It’s not widely known but Dr Pangloss was actually Bristolian. “All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds” is the battle cry!” Where does Root not coming back out factor into this? Get creative.
With Joe Root off the field again it’s only the third time in test history a batsman has retired hurt/ ill twice. The other two were @GeoffreyBoycott against the West Indies in 1973 & New Zealand’s Bert Sutcliffe against England in 1965 #Ashes#AUSvENG#cricketpic.twitter.com/JaPoGYMtqB
76th over: England 144-5 (Bairstow 38, Curran 0) So there is some news from lunch, and that is that Joe Root has retired ill again on 58. He is six runs short of the most runs for England in the series, for those with an interest in these matters. More to the point, he must be a very unwell boy to have sat out again. “Health is everything to me,” says Michael Vaughan on TMS in a very David Brent tone. Tom Curran is the man at the non-strikers’ end. Maiden from Hazlewood to Bairstow. Cops a short one in the body, defending the rest.
Hi. Back. Only news to report from lunch is that I exploded a tomato over my shirt. That’ll look good on video later tonight. “Sterling effort from YJB and Joe Root this morning,” Brian Withington writes. “Cricketing equivalent of Rorke’s Drift in terms of the hopelessness of the situation and stoicism of response. Start minting a couple more Victoria Crosses in anticipation I say.” With that, it is Cummins to Bairstow. Play.
75th over: England 144-5 (Root 58, Bairstow 38) Last over before lunch. Root defends Hazlewood with comfort early on. Pulls a couple from a relatively tame short ball to finish the session inching closer to a precious ton in Australia. Hazlewood finds an inside edge with the penultimate ball, but the England captain is through to the break. Gutsy stuff considering where he started this morning: in hospital. Lunch.
Only Moeen fell during the session. He looked quite good against Lyon this morning too, but eventually the off-spinner was able to get through via a straight one. So straight that there was no consideration of going upstairs to review. Plum. Australia half way there.
74th over: England 142-5 (Root 56, Bairstow 38) Mitch Marsh on for a twist instead of Lyon. Not a bad shout. Shamelessly plug my piece from last night one more time, then? Okay. Decent set too. Keeps Bairstow honest. Paine shakes it up by coming to the stumps. “That won’t help Mitch’s desire to get back into the fast bowling cartel,” Simon Katich notes on the ABC commentary. Classy take from the stumper when YJB leaves, having to move high to his right. The batsman is hurried up by the last one too, prompting a few oohs and aahs. Nearly snuck through. Another maiden.
“Interesting how, at time of writing, Cook and Root have ended up with identical figures (Root with power to add), but in completely different ways,” emails Tom Bowtell.
73rd over: England 142-5 (Root 56, Bairstow 38) Hazlewood to Root. Full for the most part, defending. Root decides not to attack when the shorter ball comes. Eyes very much on lunch for the England duo now. Probably two overs away from the break. Maybe three if Lyon rushes.
“From a laughter-filled press conference to copping a grim blow even as he faces the possibility of an axe,” says Aditi, “Bancroft’s tour has been like a tragic Western (is there any other kind?).” Very good. But you know what, I reckon there is a decent chance he will be retained for South Africa. Don’t underestimate the old Australian desire not to change a winning team.
72nd over: England 142-5 (Root 56, Bairstow 38) Lyon to Root. Getting well forward to defend, then driving through cover when the width is there for it. Collects another three. Bairstow deals with the rest. Very impressive morning from the wicketkeeper.
71st over: England 139-5 (Root 53, Bairstow 38) Hazlewood for his second shift of the day from the Paddington End. Root turns him square to begin, Root does likewise for a couple later in the over. All fairly sedate at this stage. Let’s get to lunch and go again.
“So, if Juan Mata won the award for Football in 2017, who deserves the Golden Graun for Cricket?” asks Adam Hirst. “Male and Female awards, of course.” That’s a great shout. I’ll take it on notice to think about during lunch. Any nominations?
The Barmy Army give England captain Joe Root a standing ovation & stirring rendition of Joe Root (Hey Jude) from Billy the Trumpeter as he walks out to bat #Ashes#AUSvENGpic.twitter.com/va5vqM6l9S
Root has hit Bancroft three times at short leg since resuming his innings
70th over: England 136-5 (Root 52, Bairstow 36) Big shout for lbw from Lyon against Bairstow, turned down. They consider going upstairs for a brief moment but think better of it. To the penultimate delivery Bancroft cops another whack, this time hitting his lower leg by the looks. Another maiden. We’re inside ten overs to the second new ball and about 20 minutes until the lunch break. Should help Lyon, too.
69th over: England 136-5 (Root 52, Bairstow 36) Nasty! A full-blooded pull shot from Root off Starc goes straight into Bancroft’s helmet. He doesn’t move an inch, straight into the grill. The game stops while a new helmet is brought out for the Aussie opener. He seems alright, thankfully. A maiden.
“On this, the last day before it’s officially AFL season again, I have some thoughts about bowling tactics in a situation like this.” Give them to me, Matt Harris. “I feel like the Australian bowlers ought to just send down six balls in a row aimed at the stumps. Stick half a dozen men out on the leg side to stop the runs getting out of hand. With 540-odd deliveries due in the day’s play, they need the English batsmen to make a mistake six times. I can’t see Bairstow nicking off when he can just leave the ball. Is this theory too simplistic?”
68th over: England 136-5 (Root 52, Bairstow 36) Very patient, YJB. Lyon throws it up then darts it in, the response is the same. Kipling, yeah? When Lyon gets too straight, he collects two through midwicket. Doing everything right.
“Gastro bug or not, suggesting that Root’s condition overnight/this morning had “nothing to do with heat exhaustion” is just silly,” emails Steve Anthony. “Honestly, does anyone seriously believe being out in the middle in up to 55C heat was going to make his tummy feel better? Discussion of a limit to player exposure when such extreme heat prevails is still a conversation that is long overdue. No amount of online Aussie macho posturing, ribbing the “soft” Poms, will change that. Ask Dean Jones (quoted this morning saying pretty much the same thing... the man who famously batted through a sea of vomit in India).” Spot on.
@collinsadam Are there any rules preventing a player wearing a Camelbak style water bottle for on-the-go hydration?
67th over: England 134-5 (Root 52, Bairstow 34) Similar theme to the previous Starc over, mixing it up. Bairstow the man at the business end this time, playing calmly. Tickles one behind square off the pads to keep the board moving. Root times one off the pads the only ball he has to negotiate, but it has smacked into Bancroft at short leg.
66th over: England 133-5 (Root 52, Bairstow 33) Lyon set and forget from the Randwick End. Bairstow into the defensive groove, much in the same mould as Mitch Marsh last week at Melbourne. Does grab one to cover later in the over. Root goes back to the last delivery and tries to cut but doesn’t make contact. Contrasting approaches.
“Morning, Adam.” Hi Sarah Bacon. “I’m no lawyer, but I’m pretty sure the SCG has some sort of small-print disclaimer about entering the ground at one’s own risk blah blah blah,” she writes. “And besides: at least the crowd could avail themselves of plenty of horse p!ss, or rather, low-strength beer, to stay hydrated.” One of the great divisions in Australian cricket is that you can drink full-strength beer in the members but only the light stuff in the outer. Probably a piece in that. I’ll add it to my list.
65th over: England 132-5 (Root 52, Bairstow 32) Starc versus Root. That’s a heavyweight stoush. Defending, driving, leaving. Driving, defending, driving. Can’t complain about this. “Blessing in disguise that Root didn’t resume from overnight?,” asks Sachin Paul. “He has a terrible record resuming overnight. Happened in Adelaide, happened at MCG and many more crucial times in his career.” A cunning plan. Hospital tag and all. More on that:
England say Joe Root had viral gastro bug, nothing to do with heat exhaustion
64th over: England 132-5 (Root 52, Bairstow 32) Lyon once more, to Root. Nice shot through cover for two more. Best form of defence and all that from the England numero uno. But then he’s beaten! Nice from the off-spinner, again looking just as dangerous from the balls that don’t turn. He spoke a lot about that when we were in Bangladesh late last year, learning how to - as he put it - bowl ugly. He does turn one bigger later in the over, Root setting up deep enough in the crease to turn nicely behind square for a few. That gets him to 50. His fourth half-century of the series. Can he go big and save this for England? Wouldn’t that be something. 136 balls to reach the mark.
“Ashamed to admit that when I read the words of Moeen joining YJB I immediately assumed that Joe had coughed it up early on a morning resumption “yet again”,” wrote Brian Withington before the first wicket fell. “Relief that he had not been dismissed was then tempered by concern for his condition - let’s hope his arrival at the crease is delayed as long as possible.” Sorry about that. Going nicely, though.
63rd over: England 127-5 (Root 47, Bairstow 32) Starc is on to replace Cummins. Root likes that match up, playing late and through backward point for four! Then a single to midwicket. He’s nice and busy early on.
Daniel McDonald has outdone himself here. “Some Walt Whitman remixed for the final morning’s events,” he emails. And here it is:
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is toast,
The ship has weather’d every dire pitch, the prize we sought is lost,
Batsmen dismissed by the same bowler 7 times in a series:
J Siedle by C Grimmett (SA v Aus 1935/36)
T Goddard by B Statham (SA v Eng 1960)
D Gower by G Lawson (Eng v Aus 1989)
M Atherton by G McGrath (Eng v Aus 1997)
M Ali by N Lyon (Eng Aus 2017/18)#bbccricket
62nd over: England 121-5 (Root 42, Bairstow 31) Drinks were taken at the fall of the wicket. And Joe Root is the man walking out to the middle. Magnificent effort given how crook he must have been overnight, rocking up to the ground with a hospital tag on his wrist as play resumed an hour ago. Some lovely wors from Phil Walker about the England captain over at Wisden overnight that I’ll link below. Lyon throws it up to him and gets enough turn to find the inside edge from the last delivery of the over. On another day, could have ended up in the hands of the man at short leg.
Wrote this last night. Wake up to hear the kid's in hospital. Turn up to find he's about to bat. #Asheshttps://t.co/EPpzKyW3gkpic.twitter.com/NFi9qmmBWc
There it is! Lyon and Moeen have been battling hard with the batsman defending confidently. But not this time, the arm ball doing the damage for the second time in the innings for the off-spinner. That’s the seventh time in nine innings during the series where Lyon has picked up Moeen. No review required - this is plum.
61st over: England 120-4 (Bairstow 30, Moeen 13) Well, that’s England biggest over of the morning, six from it. Albeit with a leg bye to begin when Moeen ducks and it collects his shoulder on the way to fine leg. Then an edge through the cordon to the rope. It didn’t carry, which Cummins is quite disappointed about. Looked a clear snick from Moeen rather than any soft hands at work. An ongoing theme of the series, really.
60th over: England 114-4 (Bairstow 29, Moeen 9) Lyon pushing through his overs in a hurry here, giving Moeen no chance to chill. But he does have enough time to get on the back foot to pull a single to midwicket. Bairstow plays out the rest.
59th over: England 113-4 (Bairstow 29, Moeen 8) Bouncer then slower ball combo to begin from Cummins to YJB. More short of a length stuff aimed at his body. This is where Cummins has been clever throughout. Bowls plenty of bumpers, but so accurate with the deliveries that are below head height but make life difficult. Fuller to finish, Bairstow times a drive through cover for a couple.
58th over: England 111-4 (Bairstow 27, Moeen 8) Lyon to Moeen. Not much to see here, which is good news for the visitors. Oh, as I type that he beats the edge. Nice bowling. But still, nearly an hour into the day and yet to really make an error. Watches the last couple go by. Maiden. Good cricket from all involved.
57th over: England 111-4 (Bairstow 27, Moeen 8) Runs again from the first ball of the over from YJB, two of them off the pads from Cummins. Sure enough, the short balls follow. But he’s back in time to defend or duck throughout the set.
Probably a sign of my immaturity that I can't watch this video without Jim Ross popping into my head screaming, "BAH GAWD, JOE ROOT IS IN THE BUILDING!" pic.twitter.com/6etdkU2EsY
56th over: England 109-4 (Bairstow 25, Moeen 8) Bairstow turns Lyon square to begin. Moeen continues to defend Lyon solidly. About seven weeks too late, I’m afraid. Leaves the last one alone. I’m in a very boisterous press box at the moment. “A real end of term feel,” notes Will Macpherson to my right.
“I’m very sorry to hear that G. Lemon is crook (though deeply thrilled at the chance to use the matchless ‘crook’ to a genuine Australian).” Morning Rob Wilson in Paris. Coming to visit in a few weeks, so goes the plan. “With Root all wibbly-wobbly as well, the OBO feels like a world of torment and debility. If Root comes on and gets any, he’s got planet-sized round ones.” If he gets motoring later on, I’m heading over to the Barmy Army for a sing.
55th over: England 108-4 (Bairstow 24, Moeen 8) Cummins into the action from the Paddington End, replacing Hazlewood. Decent pace to begin. Bairstow gets off strike to fine leg, and will be happy to do so. The right-armer has been Australia’s most dangerous quick by some margin in this fixture, for mine. Nearly gets Moeen first ball! A wafty drive, no real footwork, nearly ends up in the hands of the diving Mitch Marsh at point. If only he were six inches taller. If only he was Bruce Reid.
“Hello from Rhode Island, where it’s early evening on Sunday and -11C.” Hello to you, Tat Wood. “Over on the Guardian news site the story about Rooteh’s hospital stay has been greeted with a lot of comments based around the ‘suck it up’ theme. But I’m wondering about the spectators. Putting them in medical jeopardy opens up the doors to lawsuits and that ought to concentrate the minds of the ICC is nothing else does.”
54th over: England 103-4 (Bairstow 22, Moeen 5) A couple through midwicket for Moeen off Lyon, nicely tucked. Moeen brought forward throughout. No real issues for him so far this morning against his nemesis.
“Hi from frigid Yarmouth, Maine,” emails Andrew Schaefer. “Sorry if I’m the only one who doesn’t already know this but what are Joe Root’s options for batting today? Can he just return to the crease once Bairstow or Moeen go out?” Yep, he’s good to go at the fall of any wicket today.
53rd over: England 101-4 (Bairstow 22, Moeen 3) Moeen tucks around the corner, giving YJB the strike. Gets a bit of room to swing the bat and does, stroking a compact boundary through cover. England’s first of the morning. Clear plan from Hazlewood to go shorter after that. Handles it well. Hydration is the story of the day and Simon Katich makes an interesting point on the ABC broadcast. “Back when I was playing with the Australian team we had the hydration Test every morning,” he said. “If we weren’t at the right level we had to get enough fluid to be at that mark before we warmed up.” England 100 up with that Bairstow boundary too, for what little that is worth.
52nd over: England 96-4 (Bairstow 18, Moeen 2) Men around the bat for the Lyon vs Bairstow contest. He has three wickets against right handers (17 against lefties) this series, at an average close to 80. Now, that is quite misleading given how frugal he has been - Paul Farbrace last night said he was nearly as important as Smith in the series - but this is the preferable matchup for England. Plays very carefully here. Going nicely.
51st over: England 96-4 (Bairstow 18, Moeen 2) Hazlewood bounces Moeen in their first exchange of the day. He ducks in response. Does it again. So there are his two bumpers out of the way. Defends until another shorter one comes to finish, sways away nicely. Good scrap.
“Best wishes to Geoff Lemon (from one invalid to another) and we hope for his fast recovery,” emails Johnny Starbuck. I’m sure he is reading on and will appreciate that. Cheers. “Certainly in time to do a few of the shorter-form matches. I doubt very much that cricket will set an upper-limit temperature for play as we’ve been working for that in British workplaces for over forty years with no luck at all. The only thing that might change is bringing in roofs, a la tennis, and managing the temperature through artificial means.”
50th over: England 96-4 (Bairstow 18, Moeen 2) Change of ball between overs. The umpires took a look, it didn’t pass through the rings, so they grabbed another. Lyon beats Moeen with the first delivery using it! Once upon a time, the common wisdom was that Nath couldn’t win games for Australia on the final day. You don’t hear that kind of thing anymore, especially after his 2017. Plays with so much confidence now. Moeen gets the first run of the day, behind square. Bairstow does likewise later in the over, and Moeen again to midwicket.
Old cricket balls were inside the Pulp Fiction briefcase.
49th over: England 93-4 (Bairstow 17, Moeen 0) Three maidens. Hazlewood sends a bouncer down early to Bairstow, the first of the day. Reckon there’ll be quite a few later on if the pattern of the series continues. Big day for Jonny, he’s leaving well. “Moeen double century to save the Test?” asks Mark Hopper. Well, he has batted all day to (nearly) save a Test before.
48th over: England 93-4 (Bairstow 17, Moeen 0) Lyon to take up the attack from the Randwick End. To Moeen, who has had so much success against in the series. Brought further forward as the over went on, an inside edge found last ball. Good start from both ends.
.@MichaelVaughan: "Why didn't the planning start four years ago"@Swannyg66: "I'd like to see a lot more honesty about actually how good we are in Australia"
Must-watch England #Ashes discussion with Vaughan, Swann and @BrettLee_58.#ItsTheAshespic.twitter.com/rELyG72Q2v
47th over: England 93-4 (Bairstow 17, Moeen 0) All the cameras on Joe Root as he runs up the stairs to the England sheds, having just arrived at the ground. Jerusalem belted out by the Barmy Army. Couple of slips, a gully and a catching cover in place. As usual, the Australian quick is right on the money. Bairstow defending and watching. Root has a hospital tag still on his wrist, I can see the on TV. Go you good thing.
Moeen is the new man to the crease. Joining YJB, who resumes on 17. To repeat the news from this morning: Joe Root has been in hospital overnight with severe dehydration, but he’s at the SCG and expected to bat later on. Josh Hazlewood has the ball in his hand from the Paddington End. Play!
It is likely that Joe will bat today. That’s the latest from the England camp. We’re back in five minutes. Before it gets overtaken by events, my bit from last night on the Marsh brothers. I knew that line of commentary from Gerard Whateley would come in handy again at some stage.
The Marsh Brothers earned their big bowl of delicious pudding. SCG day four, @guardian_sport: https://t.co/KQhnB0ZNsn#Ashespic.twitter.com/PdKoQ0Es3H
Morning! Yes, Geoff is not a well boy. As those who have heard his voice know, when he talks it booms. Today, you can barely hear him. Back to the sick bay. Wish him well.
Speaking of health, the good(ish) news for England is that Joe Root is on his way to the SCG. The England camp have clarified that he will not bat when play resumes in 20 minutes, but the fact that he is here and not hospital is a good development.
"Ricky Ponting has decided it is too hot to wear a helmet today." This was 2002. https://t.co/RDpm1Qi5j1#Ashes
That’s it for me, I’m going back to my sickbed. I was hoping to push through, for one last hurrah on the Ashes OBO, because I’ve had such fun with you all throughout the series. Signing it off on the last day would have been grand. But medical necessity does not permit sentiment. Adam Collins is luckily on hand to take over from this invalid, and I shall continue back to my Swiss sanatorium. Please direct your correspondence to him. Thanks for reading along the last few weeks. Till next time.
“I would have thought with all England’s support staff, that I assume includes a doctor, fitness trainer, dietician etc, that such an incident would be avoidable. Can’t be pleasant for the guy, hope he recovers quickly,” writes Dave Brown.
I don’t know how avoidable it is when he’s spent almost the whole day on the field. Captain of the bowling side through the worst of the heat, then was out there batting after the quick fall of two wickets. There’s only so much they can do.
Plenty of discussion around now about whether cricket should have a maximum permitted temperature. While the Sydney bureau stations were reading in the 40s, those are the measurements taken in the shade. Anecdotally, the readings in the middle of the SCG yesterday were above 50 degrees. It does seem absurd to ask athletes to perform in those conditions. It seems absurd to ask spectators to sit around in those conditions too. It’s true that cricket already has annoying delays for rain and light, but in the far more dangerous conditions of extreme heat, it’s hard to mount much of an argument against it.
Yes, good morning or other times of day to you all. I’ve been following the middle three days of this Test from my sick bed inside a whorl of fever dreams. I had the distinct thought yesterday that while I’d had an utterly miserable three days, it still wasn’t as bad as the England cricket team’s. Then it turns out that we have actually shared the experience of vomiting and nausea and hospitalisation in Sydney. After being on the field for most of the day in extreme 40+ degree heat, Joe Root got extremely ill overnight with dehydration and went into hospital at 7 this morning. He’s getting IV drips and all that, and a statement will be made later as to whether he’ll take any part to play. Perhaps it will be a Graeme Smith situation, where he’ll only come back later if there’s some chance of saving the match. Or perhaps they’ll just sack it off as a bad lot. This tour has not been kind to England in any way.
Geoff will be here shortly. In the meantime, read Paul Farbrace’s comments on the England players here:
England’s planning for their next tour to Australia in four years time must begin as soon as possible following a failed Ashes defence that Paul Farbrace, the assistant coach, conceded has exposed mental frailties among the squad.
An impossibly hot fourth day in Sydney that produced a record high of 47.3C (117.1F) in the city ended with Steve Smith’s hosts on course for a 4-0 series win.
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