Joe Root has retired hurt after being hospitalised with severe dehydration, but England’s captain has arrived at the SCG and is likely to bat as the tourists attempt to save the fifth Ashes Test.
The tourists expect Root will resume his innings, if required, at some point on Monday after he was discharged from hospital.
Root finished with an unbeaten 42 at stumps on day four of the series finale, having spent most of Sunday in the field being baked in record-breaking heat.
England resumed at 4-93 on day five, trailing Australia by 210 runs.
An England team spokesman confirmed Root’s hospitalisation, noting he was severely dehydrated with diarrhoea and vomiting.
Root spent the most time in the middle of all players in Sydney’s Sunday heatwave, fielding for the first half of the day before being called to the crease just six overs into England’s innings.
Temperatures at nearby Bureau of Meteorology stations reached 43.4 and 43.7 degrees, above the record 43.1 taken during the 1908 Adelaide Ashes Test.
A heat stress tracker, which takes into account environmental factors for a ‘feels like’ mark, at the ground also displayed a reading of 57.6C in the middle.
Root’s absence has exposed England’s lower order and tail, with the out-of-form Moeen Ali summoned to the middle after his skipper retired hurt.
The dehydration has added further insult to a right index finger injury sustained by Root on Sunday night, after he attempted to pull a Mitchell Starc ball in the final session.
At the time he brushed it off as minor, and England coaching staff were confident he would be able to bat through it on Monday morning.
“I think it’s just sore,” assistant coach Paul Farbrace said after play.
“Before I came out I said ‘How is it’? And he said ‘sore’ and he said ‘It’ll probably be a bit stiff in the morning’.
“I think regardless of how it is in the morning, he’ll be taking guard first ball, that’s for certain.”
Bakkies
Guest
Then you are going to see a lot of Cricket in Asia and the Middle East cancelled if that is brought in. The Sydney weather was nothing like the weather the players had to put up with in Sharjah.
BA Sports
Guest
Somewhere Dean Jones is sitting in his lounge room hearing this and saying "you call that dehydration?!"....
Ouch
Guest
I spent 12 years working outdoors in Sydney. On days like yesterday, I'd go through 15+ litres of water and still feel woozy at the end of the day. Suffered a bad case of dehydration only once and it wasn't nice. Took several days to recover. Joe Root should rest up. He has nothing to prove.
Sydneysider
Guest
I actually think they should have called off the days' play once the temperature gauge went over 40 degrees. But it's all about money so Cricket Australia had to ensure the day's play went ahead.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Have to feel for Joe Root in this Test series. He has my upmost respect. He is always putting in for his team and it's not his fault they are struggling. Apparently he was playing with a fractured finger for part of his innings yesterday. He always has a grin for the bowler if they beat him and his cheerful manner is a welcome change from captains like Kholi who are perpetually combatitive and seem to think you need to be in people's faces to be successful.
Oingo Boingo
Guest
They cancelled the races in Melbourne on Saturday due to the heat , and rescheduled them for Sunday.
BennO
Guest
Yeah I agree with you. When they were talking temps on the pitch in the 50s, it seemed crazy to be playing in that. Just unsafe and really, since it is only a game, unnecessary.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Yeah I've played and umpired in similar heat. Fielding for just two hours in 45 degree heat was one of the toughest things I've ever done - to be fair, being three blokes short wasn't much fun either as a 16-year-old running around in seniors. Umpiring a full length junior rep one day game in 45-degree heat was a bit of a nightmare as well. You actually have to wonder how the umpires are holding up. No hiding for them.
Scott Pryde
Expert
A feels like temperature of 57.6 is absolutely crazy. In the NSW Premier and Shires competitions, we are advised to stop play once the 'feels like' temperature reaches 43 degrees. I know professional athletes are a bit different to the next level down, but it makes you wonder if the ICC need a heat policy of some sort. Hopefully Root is okay. Won't make a difference to the result though and England should probably do the smart thing and make sure he is right for the NZ Tests coming up.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Hope he recovers quickly. It's an Ashes Test, but health should always come first.
Pedro the Maroon
Guest
Poor bloke. I've played in 40 degrees and it's a shocker. We lasted abut 3 hours and called the game off. The Poms had two days in the field and then Root had to bat for 3 hours. Hope he's OK this a.m.
jameswm
Guest
Hope he's well soon. I was amazed how fresh the Aussie bowlers looked later in the afternoon. It was hot, but did die off a bit later on. Anderson and Broad put in some good spells in the worst part of the day. I once played on a 44 degree day. I found batting harder for some reason. Got more affected batting than bowling medium pacers.
TheCunningLinguistic
Guest
Uh oh... Oh well, don't think it will make much difference to the result in the end. Best wishes for his recovery.