Defiant Root to soldier on after being hospitalised with dehydration
England captain Joe Root has returned to the SCG after being hospitalised with severe dehydration prior to the start of day five of the final Ashes Test in Sydney.
Root had batted for 175 minutes on day four in an effort to save the fifth Test, with England starting its second innings 303 runs in arrears with no hope of victory.
Those 175 minutes came on top of 176 minutes in the field on a day when the temperature in Sydney soared into the mid-40s, with a heat tracker on the edge of the pitch at the SCG registering a reported 57.6 degrees Celsius.
"Joe Root is currently in hospital with severe dehydration. There will be a further update as to whether he will be fit to resume this morning," the England Cricket Board tweeted.
He also copped a short Mitchell Starc delivery on his index finger, but England assistant coach Paul Farbrace yesterday said it was only "sore".
Root was 42 not out to end day four but did not continue his innings at the start of day five, with Moeen Ali coming in alongside Jonny Bairstow for the day's first ball.
After retiring ill, the 27-year-old returned to the crease after Moeen was dismissed early, although former Ashes-winning England captain Michael Vaughan questioned how effective he would be at the crease.
"Clearly he's not going to be in the state of mind or the fitness to bat for six hours, which England desperately need him to do today," Vaughan told Grandstand before play.
"I thought he played quite nicely yesterday — two days out in the field captaining, 193 overs out there, working his tactics, moving and shaking his fielders, and then he was out there [batting] inside six overs.
"It's not easy as a captain to do that. I thought he coped with it well, but England desperately need him here fit today."
Former Australian Test batsman Dean Jones, who famously vomited and urinated out at the crease while scoring 210 runs against India in oppressive conditions in Chennai in 1986, said he now believed cricket should not be played once the temperature climbs above 41C.
At the start of play on day five, Australia was hunting six wickets to seal a 4-0 series victory over England, having already clinched the series after the third Test in Perth to reclaim the urn.
External Link: Fifth Ashes Test scorecard
[contf] [contfnew]
ABC .net
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]
