England's Joe Root produced a masterclass hundred before his team's batting was marred by incompetence, allowing Australia to claw back into the Ashes series.
Root notched up his second century of this series with a strokey innings that featured 52 runs with Will Jacks. The Yorkshireman reached his milestone on day two in Sydney after opening partner Harry Brook edged out for just six more runs than he had scored overnight, and then was nicked off for an 11-ball duck.
Australia seamer Michael Neser had ended the England session with impressive figures of four wickets for 60 runs. His first victim was Zak Crawley, who fell to Jamie Smith, before Root came off a new ball that allowed him to score freely for a further 100 runs.
Neser's only real blemish on the day was being hit by Joe Root after having previously bowled him lbw and then caught Josh Tongue for a duck. His partner Jake Weatherald added just 21 more runs to his overnight total, before Ben Stokes trapped him lbw with a ball that nipped in.
Travis Head then continued Australia's momentum, posting his third fifty-plus score of the series after adding 105 with Marnus Labuschagne for their second wicket. The former posted his third fifties of this Ashes and added 21 to his overnight total before getting out at gully off Ben Stokes.
England seamer Matthew Potts struggled to contain Australia's counter-attack, giving away 58 runs in just seven overs. But the most dreadful dismissal came for England's Jamie Smith, who was hammered by pundits after gifting his wicket to part-time bowler Marnus Labuschagne. The Yorkshireman survived on 22 after clothing to cover but couldn't avoid a bouncer that straight shot to extra-cover.
The series now lies at 3-1 in favour of Australia with the final Ashes Test scheduled for next week, following their comfortable win at Brisbane and the loss at Perth and Adelaide.
Root notched up his second century of this series with a strokey innings that featured 52 runs with Will Jacks. The Yorkshireman reached his milestone on day two in Sydney after opening partner Harry Brook edged out for just six more runs than he had scored overnight, and then was nicked off for an 11-ball duck.
Australia seamer Michael Neser had ended the England session with impressive figures of four wickets for 60 runs. His first victim was Zak Crawley, who fell to Jamie Smith, before Root came off a new ball that allowed him to score freely for a further 100 runs.
Neser's only real blemish on the day was being hit by Joe Root after having previously bowled him lbw and then caught Josh Tongue for a duck. His partner Jake Weatherald added just 21 more runs to his overnight total, before Ben Stokes trapped him lbw with a ball that nipped in.
Travis Head then continued Australia's momentum, posting his third fifty-plus score of the series after adding 105 with Marnus Labuschagne for their second wicket. The former posted his third fifties of this Ashes and added 21 to his overnight total before getting out at gully off Ben Stokes.
England seamer Matthew Potts struggled to contain Australia's counter-attack, giving away 58 runs in just seven overs. But the most dreadful dismissal came for England's Jamie Smith, who was hammered by pundits after gifting his wicket to part-time bowler Marnus Labuschagne. The Yorkshireman survived on 22 after clothing to cover but couldn't avoid a bouncer that straight shot to extra-cover.
The series now lies at 3-1 in favour of Australia with the final Ashes Test scheduled for next week, following their comfortable win at Brisbane and the loss at Perth and Adelaide.
! Joe Root was on fire though 
, his century was pure magic 
. But seriously, that team's batting is just a mess 
. One day they're scoring tons, the next they're getting wiped out 
. And what's up with all these wickets? It's like they're giving them away for free 
. Australia's got this series in the bag and I'm not sure England can turn it around 
. The Aussie bowlers were on point 
, especially Neser 
. Poor Joe Root, he was doing his thing but couldn't save the team from collapsing 
. Bring on the final Ashes Test, I guess 
!
. like root went out there and put on a show, but australia's team effort is what's got them back in this series. they're playing smart, not just relying on one or two players to save the day. we can learn from that, don't get caught up in individual performances, look at how the whole team's working together! and yeah, england's batting looks super weak atm 
! he's literally the king of cricket right now! i swear his batting skills are getting better with every game 
. and that australia team is just so annoying 
. ben stokes though 
he's my man! and josh tongue u r dead to me 
if u didn't catch that duck then what r u even doing with ur life?! anywayz the ashes series is getting intense 
๏ธ, no wonder he took 4 wickets for just 60 runs 
! But seriously, what was going through Jamie Smith's mind when he gave away his wicket so easily? 
. England needs to regroup and come up with a new strategy if they wanna make it interesting 
!
. And that Australian bowler Neser is a beast! He's killin us with those yorkers 
. One day England's batting is on point and Root gets his hundred, but then what? The rest of the team just can't even get out of their own way. I mean, 4 wickets for 60 runs by Neser? That's insane! And what's with Jamie Smith? He gives away his wicket to Labuschagne like it's no big deal 
i'm still rooting for england (pun intended), but they need to sort out their batting issues ASAP 
. They need to get their act together for that final test or else it's gonna be a 4-1 loss 
australia is really taking control now 58 runs in just seven overs by matthew potts is insane 
.
.
! He really showcased his skills as a batsman, playing an amazing innings that helped him score 100 runs. But it wasn't all smooth sailing for Team England... their batting was kinda messy after Root got out 
. Not a great result for England, but still exciting to watch! 
. Ben Stokes and Travis Head are like the dynamic duo of Aussie cricket, just dominating everything in their path 
. Meanwhile, Australia's just playing smart cricket, adapting to the situation and taking calculated risks 
.
.
anyway can't believe england let it slip like that again
. Brook gets edged out for 6 more than he scored overnight? What's up with that?! 
.
they just kept pushing after england's batting collapse 
joe root put up a good show tho 
can't wait 4 the final test 
. And Ben Stokes' wicket of Jake Weatherald was so clutch 
Fingers crossed!