Brook and Root run riot as England eye stunning win in India decider / Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS - AFP
Brook and Root run riot as England eye stunning win in India decider
Harry Brook's dashing century put England on the brink of their latest spectacular run chase in the fifth and deciding Test against India at the Oval on Sunday.
England were 317-4 at tea on the fourth day, needing just 57 more runs to reach an imposing target of 374 for a win that would secure a 3-1 series victory.
Brook, riding his luck at times, was dismissed for 111 shortly before the interval.
His fourth-wicket partnership of 195 in 35 overs with Yorkshire team-mate Joe Root turned the tide after they came together with England 106-3 following the loss of stand-in captain Ollie Pope.
Root, the world's top-ranked Test batsman, was 98 not out at tea.
No side have made more to win in the fourth innings of a Test at the Oval than England's 263 in a one-wicket victory over Australia in 1902.
But aggressive batting has been a cornerstone of England's approach to Test cricket since captain Ben Stokes, ruled out of this match with a shoulder injury, and coach Brendon McCullum joined forces in 2022.
And England are now on course to finish this series as they started it.
They made 371 -- the 10th highest successful fourth-innings run chase in Test history -- for a five-wicket win in the first Test at Headingley in June.
Brook made an immediate impact when he came out to bat on Sunday, at one stage hitting 27 runs in the space of eight balls.
The talented 26-year-old charged down the pitch to loft Akash Deep for an extraordinary six over cover despite heavy cloud cover in London favouring India's quicks.
- Brook escape -
He almost holed out to fine leg off Prasidh Krishna but Mohammed Siraj was unable to stop himself stepping onto the boundary rope, which meant a six for Brook.
India captain Shubman Gill let the game drift and it was not until the 43rd over, with England 190-2, that he introduced spin -- in the shape of Washington Sundar.
But neither off-spinner Sundar or left-armer Ravindra Jadeja made much impact against two well-set batsmen, who took just 108 balls to complete a century partnership.
India were becoming increasingly ragged, with Brook going to 98 when Deep misfielded a drive off Sundar on the rope to concede a boundary.
Next ball a two to third man took Brook to a 91-ball century, including 12 fours and two sixes, his second of the series.
Brook's innings ended in appropriately spectacular fashion when, going for another big hit off Deep, his bat flew out of his hands. As the blade soared towards square leg, the ball looped to mid-off where Siraj held the catch.
Root, however, ensured the runs kept coming with a typically elegant straight-driven four off Siraj taking him to within sight of his 39th Test hundred.
England resumed Sunday on 50-1 after Siraj yorked Zak Crawley with the last ball of Saturday's play.
Ben Duckett, 34 not out overnight, fell for 54 after edging an intended drive off Krishna to KL Rahul at second slip before Pope was plumb lbw for 27 to Siraj.
T.Burns--EWJ
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