Joe Root and Harry Brook produced a composed and counter-attacking batting display to steady England on a rain-affected opening day of the fifth and final Ashes Test, frustrating Australia’s all-pace attack at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.

The pair put on an unbroken 154-run partnership to guide England to 211 for 3 before bad light forced players off the field shortly before tea, with subsequent rain and the threat of lightning bringing an early end to play.

Batting first after captain Ben Stokes won the toss at a sold-out venue, England found themselves in early trouble at 57 for 3 after losing Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Jacob Bethell before lunch.

Duckett looked fluent during a brisk start, striking five boundaries in a 27-ball 27, but was dismissed by Mitchell Starc, edging behind to wicketkeeper Alex Carey. It was the fifth time Starc has dismissed Duckett in the series.

Crawley followed soon after, trapped lbw by Michael Neser, while Bethell endured a tentative stay before edging Scott Boland to Carey as England slipped further.

Root and Brook then took control, rotating the strike smartly and capitalising on any loose deliveries on a pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers. Both batsmen brought up hard-earned half-centuries during a productive second session.

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Root remained unbeaten on 72, registering his 67th Test fifty, moving him within one of Sachin Tendulkar’s record tally of 68 half-centuries. Brook, equally assured, finished on 78 not out, reaching his 15th Test fifty after surviving a scare on 45 when a mistimed stroke landed safely between fielders.

England entered the match buoyed by a four-wicket victory inside two days in Melbourne, which ended a 15-year winless run in Australia, although the hosts had already retained the Ashes by winning the first three Tests.

Australia surprised by fielding an all-seam attack, leaving out off-spinner Todd Murphy and bringing in allrounder Beau Webster. It marked the first time in nearly 140 years that Australia have not played a frontline spinner in a Sydney Test.

“Hate doing it,” Australia captain Steve Smith said.

“But if we keep producing wickets that we don’t think are going to spin and seam is going to play a big part and cracks are going to play a big part, you kind of get pushed into a corner.”

England made one change, drafting in seamer Matthew Potts for the injured Gus Atkinson, while frontline spinner Shoaib Bashir missed out for a fifth consecutive Test.

The day began with a tribute to first responders from the Bondi mass shooting last month, drawing a strong response from the crowd when Ahmed Al Ahmed, who tackled one of the attackers, appeared on the field.