Joe Root is hailed as the greatest cricket player since Don Bradman after adding a second century to his tally this Ashes tour.

England's most prolific batter Joe Root concedes it's possible his heroic century at the SCG will come in his final Test appearance on Australian soil. On the same day Root defended Jamie Smith over his ugly dismissal in the Ashes finale, the No.4 helped the tourists to their largest innings total of the series.

Root shrugged to the crowd as he celebrated a heroic century in England's first innings at the SCG early on day two of the Ashes series finale. The English No.4 played Michael Neser down the ground for two runs to reach triple figures just before drinks in the first session.

In what has been a bowlers' series, the class of Joe Root and Travis Head again shone on day two in Sydney, where it often took something silly for a wicket to fall.

The 25-year-old Brook, who averages 61.62 after 23 Tests, returned the compliment to the No.1 ranked Test batter

Cricket is a small community and there is no better example of that on this Ashes tour than the three men sitting around a restaurant table overlooking the Yarra River in Melbourne.

Root is optimistic solutions can be found, even in Starc's day-night domain, and sees no reason why the bowler's strengths cannot be managed to a degree. It is worth noting, Starc's average with the pink ball at the Gabba is a solid yet unspectacular 29.00, with 14 dismissals across six innings.