Late wickets make it Australia's day at the SCG

Two late wickets with the second new ball brought about a dramatic downturn in England’s fortunes on the first day of the final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood dismissed Joe Root (83) and Jonny Bairstow (5) in successive overs, ruining what had otherwise been a moderately good day for the visitors.

At stumps, England were 233/5, with Bairstow dismissed off the final ball of an extended day after rain had washed out the morning session. Just eight balls earlier, England were sitting pretty at 228/3, with Root and Dawid Malan adding 106 runs after tea.

England opted to bat, but saw their 28-run opening stand broken after Pat Cummins had Mark Stoneman caught behind off a short delivery that seamed away from the left-hander. James Vince joined Alastair Cook thereafter, and the duo added 60 runs in just under 20 overs before Cummins returned to make another breakthrough – Vince slashed unnecessarily at a wide delivery outside his off stump, and was caught behind.

Cook looked to have played himself in and had reached 39 after soaking up 108 deliveries, but four overs after Vince’s dismissal, Hazlewood had Cook rapped on the knee-roll. Joel Wilson, the umpire, turned down Australia’s appeals, but the home side were successful with their review and England were reduced to 95/3.

It was then that Root and Malan came together. They navigated England to tea at 122/3, and on resumption put together 134 runs for the fourth wicket. It was a test of perseverance and patience for Malan in particular – he took more than nine overs to add to his tally of 16 at tea. Mitchell Starc, returning after missing out in Melbourne through injury, wasn’t as pacey as he usually is, and England could chug along, putting away the occasional boundary to keep the scoreboard moving.

Root brought up his half-century off 82 balls with an exquisite square-drive off Mitchell Marsh. Nathan Lyon then nearly had Malan dismissed, but Steve Smith’s failure to latch-on to an outside edge at slip meant Malan could go on to bring up his own fifty, off 146 balls.

It seemed as though Root and Malan would take England to stumps, but the second new ball, taken on schedule, was always going to pose a threat. Starc, off colour till that point, suddenly came to life. Root drove him down the ground off his first delivery, but there was ample evidence of swing that brought about a smile from the lanky paceman. The next delivery was an inswinging yorker, which somehow missed Root’s stumps despite an inside-edge, and ended up at the fence. More smiles.

Starc had his man with his third delivery – a full, swinging one on middle and leg that prompted Root to flick straight to Mitchell Marsh, who did well to hold on to the catch with the diving effort at square leg. Hazlewood then induced Bairstow's outside edge in the next over, after peppering the first three deliveries outside his off-stump.

And just like that, it was Australia’s day.