Sydney, Jan. 5 -- As the Sydney daylight softened and the familiar hum of the SCG grew louder, Joe Root stood once more at the centre of an Ashes narrative that seems increasingly shaped by his bat and temperament.
When Mitchell Starc banged one in short and wide, Root rocked back and punched it calmly to deep backward point for a single. The scoreboard flicked to 150, and the Barmy Army erupted in a long, rolling chorus of "Roooooooot" that echoed across the ground. Root barely smiled, raising his bat briefly, acknowledging spectators that has come to expect these moments from him. This was the 17th time he had crossed 150 in Test cricket, a feat bettered only by Sachin Tendulkar (20), Brian Lara (19), Kumar Sangakkara (19) and Don Bradma...