by Booney » Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:38 am
UPDATE: England skipper Joe Root has been released from hospital and is "likely to bat at some point" on the final day of the Magellan Ashes Series despite suffering from severe dehydration.
Root was hospitalised with diarrhea and vomiting having endured temperatures of 42 degrees on Sunday, but was released and was expected to arrive at the SCG on Monday morning.
The right-hander was set to resume on 42 not out as England fight to save the fifth Test, but the resumption of his innings will be delayed.
England will start the day 210 runs behind Australia and staring down the barrel of a 4-0 series loss.
Mitchell Marsh, who completed his second Ashes century just after lunch yesterday, said the extreme heat was a challenge for those on the field.
"This morning was one of the hottest conditions I’ve batted in in Australia," Marsh said. "Even the warm-up was boiling hot."
Root also suffered a nasty blow in the finger late on day four but brushed off the pain and continued batting to see England to 4-93 at stumps.
England assistant coach Paul Farbrace confirmed after play that Root’s finger was "just sore" and spoke about how the tough Ashes campaign will help shape the 27-year-old as a leader in the future.
"He is very determined," Farbrace said.
"That’s something although he’s not scored the runs and the big hundreds he would’ve liked to have scored this series, the one thing he has done is try to apply himself and get stuck in and play as well as he possibly can do.
"His way of talking within the team is very much about application and getting stuck in and fighting.
"Equally you need to back that up with a high level of skill in international cricket.
"We’ve seen in the dressing room, the way that he leads, the way that he speaks, the way he is around the team that he is growing in to and is going to become a very good captain.
"He’ll have learnt a lot in this series. He’ll have learnt a lot in his short time as England captain.
"And he will only get better from that experience, because that is the nature of the person and we see that with his batting as well."
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