Twitter Reactions: Australia comeback with late wickets after England dominated the day

The fifth and final Test match of the Ashes 2017-18 got underway today at the Sydney Cricket Ground and this is England’s last chance to add a number to the scoreline. Joe Root won the toss and decided to bat first on a good wicket. While they sort of held the upper hand for the major part of the day dual strikes by Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood right in the dead end brought the Aussies back in the hunt.

English openers looked patient in the first half hour but Pat Cummins got rid of Mark Stoneman in the 10th over for the score of 24 to create the first opening. James Vince and the double centurion from the previous match Alastair Cook then got together a half century stand. But Cummins struck again and Vince was caught by Time Pain failing to convert his start.

Soon enough Cook was hit in front by one from Josh Hazlewood, the umpire ruled it not out as it appeared to have pitched outside the line of the leg-stump but the Aussies went for the DRS. Reviews confirmed that the ball had pitched just inside and he was plumb. The former skipper was on his way back for 39 and England three down with under 100 runs on the board.

Skipper Root then had Dawid Malan for company. The latter has shown a lot of promise on this tour and earned himself quite a reputation having put up runs at all times though they haven’t been substantial enough to aid the team’s cause.

They had a partnership worth 133 and Root looked good for his hundred. He would’ve been fine to go back to the dressing room unbeaten even in the nineties but he hit a losner from Starc towards Mitchell Marsh at square leg and he took a good catch diving forward. Thus the English captain yet again failed to convert his half century into anything bigger than that.

He was dismissed for 83 and Jonny Bairstow edged one to Paine off Hazlewood in what proved to be the last ball of the day and the visitors went back with 233 runs in their account for the loss of 5 wickets.

Here is how Twitterati reacted during the course of the match:

Joe Root in Test cricket:

58 dismissals between 0 and 39
40 dismissals between 40 and 99#Ashes

— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) January 4, 2018

Joe Root's last ten 50+ scores in Tests:

78
50
52
136
59
72
51
67
61
83

Has converted just one of them into century. #Ashes

— ESPNcricinfo stats (@ESPNcric_stats) January 4, 2018

Joe Root has now converted only 5 out of his last 28 Test half centuries into hundreds. #BBCCricket #ashes pic.twitter.com/9fpN0oqPDu

— Test Match Special (@bbctms) January 4, 2018

GUTTED for @root66!
DAMMIT! #Ashes

— KP (@KP24) January 4, 2018

Why the hell would you send out Bairstow with 2 overs to play?
Terrible captaincy by Root.
#Ashes

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 4, 2018

51
67
61
83

Joe Root fails to convert another half-century. #Ashes pic.twitter.com/sOfl8xFnTl

— bet365_aus (@bet365_aus) January 4, 2018

44,874 at the SCG today, just under the crowd on the corresponding day four years ago.
Total attendance for the #Ashes so far is 729,527. Total for 2013-14 was 753,868, so that should be exceeded tomorrow.

— Ric Finlay (@RicFinlay) January 4, 2018

Root was Starc's 20th wicket of the series and Bairstow, Hazlewood's 20th.

The last time two pace bowlers from the same nation took 20+ wickets in the same series was Johnson and Harris during the 13/14 #Ashes.

— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) January 4, 2018

– Death
– Taxes
– Joe Root to be a pea heart and never achieve anything for his country in Australia. #Ashes

— Sportsbet.com.au (@sportsbetcomau) January 4, 2018

I just looked Joe Root in the eye and said “Another 50, Rooty?”. He didn’t like it. At all. I’ve never been prouder of myself.#ashes

— Ryan O'Connell (@RyanOak) January 4, 2018

To be fair to Root, I’d almost never convert a Test fifty to a Test hundred either. #Ashes

— Dan Liebke (@LiebCricket) January 4, 2018

Starc limping already. No idea why he's playing in a dead rubber given his history. #ashes

— Matt (@Mattys123) January 4, 2018

I know people will say why not have a night watchman….masssive & brave call if it works but when it backfires ?? I back the decision myself as a batsmen has a much better chance to play out the delivery’s than the lower order. The great game is all about % #ashes

— Alex Tudor (@alextudorcoach) January 4, 2018

To be fair to Trevor Bayliss he looks to have read this pitch very very well indeed … Playing 2 spinners looks already to have been a great call … #LocalKnowledge #Ashes

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) January 4, 2018