Root reaches a masterful century for England before Head leads the Australia bounce

The Richies had a strong presence on an eventful second day, with a whole block of supporters decked out in cream, bone, white, off-white, ivory or beige. Bathed in sunshine, with flags fluttering above the two Grade II listed pavilions, the backdrop for Joe Root’s 41st Test hundred was absolutely stunning.

This has not been the case for Root in Sydney over the years. In 2014, the SCG witnessed the only time he was dropped by England. In 2018 he scored 83 and 58, but ended up in an IV due to the extreme heat, with his team crumbled to a 4-0 defeat. Four years later came a duck and 24, England saved the Test to avoid the whitewash, but his captaincy had long since sunk.

But on the fourth time he asks, Root will now leave the port city with some happier memories. The English master batsman continued with 72 to make 160 from 242 balls, making a total of 384 in 97.3 overs as he celebrated his second century of the tour and his first in Australia against the red ball.

Root is now level with Ricky Ponting for Test hundreds, with only Jacques Kallis on 45, and Sachin Tendulkar on 51 above him on this list of all-time greats.

Even with the Ashes gone, this was Root in excelsis, everything wonderfully in sync, the ball playing late before his eyes and 15 fours picked away largely without friction. It took a sparkling return from Michael Neser, who finished with figures of four for 60, to silence him as Root walked off to a standing ovation. Who knows, even after turning 35 a week ago, Sydney might see Root again in 2030.

Although Root was off the pitch at the end with a lower back cramp and the day had changed in a way that said a lot about the England tour. Wickets had fallen around him – seven for 173 lost in two sessions – and when it was England’s turn to bowl on a surface with some nip and variable bounce, the radar went wrong and catches dropped. Australia, led by Travis Head’s unbeaten 91 off 87 balls, reached 166 for two after 34.1 breakneck overs.

This final session was not unlike England’s deflating second day at the Gabba: missed lines and lengths and Head gleefully taking out the rubbish with that rasping shot. The left-hander did his best to challenge Mitchell Starc for the Compton-Miller medal, blasting fifteen fours across the outfield which, with Marnus Labuschagne making 48, reduced England’s lead to 218 runs on day three.

The two drops weren’t too costly in themselves, Jake Weatherald getting reprieves on nine and fifteen before falling to Ben Stokes on 21 for his final lbw. Root tapped a hard ball over the crossbar at slip – possibly the cause of his back problem – while Ben Duckett took a narrow chance at cover that absolutely should have stuck. But the two deniers, Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse, eventually trudged away from stumps with combined figures of 16 overs, none for 101.

Potts was all over the store during his first appearance on the series. The wider frustration was summed up by Stokes exchanging words with Labuschagne before drawing a big lead, while England’s total had proven solid but far from convincing.

Although Harry Brook nibbled behind on 84 to end a stand of 169 with Root, and removed a beauty from Starc Stokes for a duck, this mainly amounted to a collapse at five for 61 either side of the second new ball – not that the lower order should have been exposed to it.

England were over 323 for five in the 75th, with lunch looming, and Labuschagne was tasked with sending a number of medium-pace bouncers into an expansive field. Step forward Jamie Smith – or rather back in this case – for a cross tennis hit that went straight into the hands of deep extra cover. Labuschagne beamed, while the English supporters recoiled at the nonsense.

Smith had been half of a tie with Root worth 94 and finished third highest scorer with 46. Not bad on paper. Still, it was an innings in line with his tour overall, with seven broken boundaries failing to mask the lack of durability. It should have been shortened at 22, with Cameron Green overshooting when Smith drilled one to cover and then saw the next ball fly past an unmoved Beau Webster at first slip.

Then, despite Will Jacks chiseling out 27 to deny Starc and Boland’s burst with the fresh ball, Neser and Green kept England under 400. The move all four mustered should have encouraged England, but Head was then fed repeatedly. As Richie Benaud may have put it, the brain wasn’t particularly confused.