The Ashes 2025-26: Travis Head hits back after Joe Root hits 160 in Sydney

Root has been feast or famine in this series. Until this Test, his historic century in Brisbane was one of only two occasions when he was over 20. In Sydney, the city where he was dropped for the only time in his Test career and was once hospitalized in scorching heat, the former captain was outstanding.

Without Root, England would have squandered their promising overnight position of 211-3. Harry Brook played a lame poke on Scott Boland to be caught at slip for 84 and Stokes edged out Jamaal Mitchell Starc for an 11-ball duck, meaning the tourists lost 2-3 in four overs.

On the one hand, Smith’s role in the 94-run stand with Root was valuable, but the wicket-keeper was lucky to last so long. He was caught off-ball by Cameron Green on 22, then edged and fouled the same bowler. Labuschagne’s plan dismissal of the keeper approaching the second new ball was a horrific piece of cricket.

At this point, Root had moved to triple digits of 72 overnight. After edging Nisser over the slips on 94, he drove the same bowler down the ground to join Australian great Ricky Ponting on 41 Test tons – only India’s Sachin Tendulkar and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis have more. He celebrated with the same shrug he did in Brisbane.

He went on to add 52 for the seventh wicket with Wheeljack. He passed 150 for the 17th time in Tests – only four other players have done so more.

Root eventually provided a leading edge to Neser’s diving follow-up, part of England’s eventual 4-9 collapse. After more than six-and-a-half hours at the crease, he later left the field clutching his lower back, with England facing an anxious wait over his condition.