Fifth Ashes Test; day two: Australia 166-2, England 384Root makes 160 but hosts’ opener helps reduce lead to 218The Richies were out in force on an eventful second day at the Sydney Cricket Ground, an entire block of supporters decked out in either cream, bone, white, off-white, ivory, or beige. Bathed in sunshine, flags fluttering over the two heritage-listed pavilions, the backdrop for Joe Root’s 41st Test hundred was absolutely marvellous.This has not been the case for Root here over the years. In 2014 the SCG witnessed the one and only time he has been dropped by England. In 2018 he made scores of 83 and 58 not out here but ended up on a drip due to extreme heat, his side having crumbled to a 4-0 series defeat. Four years later came a duck and 24, England saving the Test to dodge the whitewash but his captaincy long since sunk. Continue reading...