Sydney: Joe Root made his second hundred of the series, while Travis Head closed in on his third, as Day 2 of the final Ashes Test between Australia and England closed evenly poised on Monday.
England were bowled out just before tea for 384 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with Root leading with a masterful 160 for his best Test score in the country from his four Ashes tours.
At stumps, Australia were 166-2 in reply in their first innings, with Head again in imperious form as he slashed his way to 91 not out from 87 balls and nearing his third hundred of the five-match series.
Ben Stokes had both wickets for the tourists, which struggled to stem the flow of runs in the final session but the wicket of the well-set Marnus Labuschagne late in the day buoyed England’s hopes.
Root’s milestone ton
Earlier Monday, as wickets fell regularly around him, Root showed all the composure of a 163-Test veteran as he notched his 41st century off 146 balls, with 11 boundaries and celebrated with the same shrug gesture as when he broke through for his first ton in four Ashes tours at Brisbane last month.
“I just felt like we’ve had some amazing support throughout this series and we’ve not been able to achieve what we set out to as a group, but at no point has that (support) ever wavered,” Root said.
“It (the celebration) is a way of saying thank you, really.”
Root’s epic innings was finally ended at 160 from 242 balls when he popped a return catch to Neser, who dived across the pitch to grasp the ball just inches above the ground.
While his disappointment was evident as he walked from the field, he received a standing ovation from the near-capacity Sydney Cricket Ground in what may be the veteran’s last tour of a country that had provided his greatest batting challenge.
“Who knows? We’ll see. I’d love to (play until then), but we’ll see how things unfold in time,” he said.
The England star is now level with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting on the all-time list of test centurymakers. Only Sachin Tendulker (51) and Jacques Kallis (45) have more.