Heady days at the SCG

PL watches as Root then Head put on batting displays in Sydney

Day 2: Australia 2-166 (Head 92no). England 384 (Root 160)

The southern end of those enormous Sydney storms that roll in this time of year had reached Don Bradman’s old family home in Bowral, while another front spilled down the Blue Mountains home where Pat Cummins came of age. Down in the basin, England was advancing toward 400 in an innings that loomed as something of a dark cloud for Australia.

There was still some serious kick in this SCG pitch, and thanks to Joe Root, there was serious heft in that England innings. Things could get a little sticky before stumps.

Earlier in the week, Usman Khawaja had talked of the mental toll of opening the batting, explaining that as the opposition innings wound down, those who would be first to bat on its completion began to engage with the task ahead. Given that he had been relieved of that role earlier in the series, it was on Travis Head and Jake Weatherald, legs heavy from two days in the field, to start calculating what it would be like when it’s their turn as the second session dragged on.

England pulled up on 384, Root out caught and bowled by Michael Neser (4-60) late in proceedings for 160. While the visitors would not be unhappy with the total, a more ruthless approach could have yielded at least 60 or 70 more and put the game further from Australia’s reach.

Insert here a scathing observation of Jamie Smith’s shot minutes before lunch. The England batsman, then well entrenched on 46 and almost 100 runs into his partnership with Root, should never have been attempting such at such a time. To make matters worse, it was Marnus Labuschagne who was bowling.

While there was still seam and bounce in the wicket, it was neither that did Jake Weatherald. Truth be told, Jake Weatherald did Jake Weatherald. Somehow, the left-hander has worked himself into a place where he is crouched low like a boxer and so far over his bat that he’s always going to be falling over that front pad and susceptible to the full straight ball.

Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts and then Josh Tongue tried but could not find that spot, but Ben Stokes – who is more than handy bowling to left-handers and probably should be taking the new ball – came around the wicket, jumped wide of the crease and achieved the inevitable in his second over.

Weatherald has had the best part of five Tests at the top of the order and has an average of just 21 with an innings to play. It’s an unimpressive return, but he has seven months to get himself right again before Australia plays another Test match and just one thing to work on: not falling over his front pad.