England get sizzled in the heat as they concede runs at record rates and Boycott in a baggy green.. six things you missed from day four of the final Ashes Test

• e-mail

Joe Root's last stand was all that feasibly stood between England and a 4-0 Ashes embarrassment as they diced with a landslide innings defeat at the SCG.

Shaun and Mitch Marsh completed their centuries, finishing respectively with 156 and 101 out of Australia's monumental first-innings 649 for seven on day four of the final Test.

Then Steve Smith's mid-afternoon declaration put the onus on England to reveal a resilience which has been lacking throughout the winter - and they formed no new habits on the way to 93 for four, still 210 adrift, despite their captain's unbeaten 42 from 124 balls.

With so much going on during another tough outing for the tourists Sportsmail, as ever, is on hand to bring you the things you may have missed from day's play.

England toiled again in the heat on day four in Sydney as Australia closed in on victory

Sad England seared in Sydney heat

If having to watch the Marsh brothers smear you to all parts of the SCG was not bad enough, having to do so whilst being cooked alive is significantly worse.

The temperature gauge in the middle hit 57.6 degrees, with the day the hottest on record in Sydney, meaning players and fans alike had to take evasive action.

Feel for fair-skinned Jonny Bairstow who looked like a classic Brit abroad with a sun hat on as he melted underneath. The rest of the England players used cooling neckerchiefs to combat the hat, which had an oddly regal look.

In the stands staff were sent out with water tanks to spray supporters, which looked suitable.  

Joe Root wore a special neck cooler to try and survive the searing 57 degree Sydney heat

Supporters in the stands at the SCG were treated by staff with jets of water in order to stay cool

The stats that shame England

As Mitchell Starc hacked away at the England bowlers to take the Australian total past 600 it was the fifth time in 15 away Tests since New Year 2016 that England have conceded 600. They conceded 600+ away from home five times between 1955-2015 (none from 1955 to December 2003).

Australia's 649-7 declared is the seventh highest total England have conceded overseas. In their last seven away Tests, they have conceded their first, fifth, seventh and 10th highest scores outside England. That total is Australia's third highest innings score in an Ashes test on home soil, with the 662-9 in Perth meaning two of the top three in that list have come in this series.

There was an unwanted world record for Moeen Ali as his has a bowling average of 115 for the series become the highest in any series in Test history by a bowler taking five wickets or more.

There was an unwanted world record for Moeen Ali as his series bowling average hit 115

...And the ones that don't  

On a day spent mostly boiling in the heat before falling for 10 runs there was a crumb of comfort for Alastair Cook as he became the the youngest of the six men in history to pass 12,000 Test runs.

There was little positive for England's bowlers but James Anderson drew level with Derek Underwood's record for Test maidens. He conceded only 56 runs in his 34 overs.

James Anderson levelled an English Test record for maidens held by Derek Underwood

A dapper groundsman

Perhaps he was heading to a wedding at the close of play or maybe he just did not get the casual attire memo but this groundsman certainly showed up his usually far scruffier counterparts to become probably the best dressed man to ever ride a heavy roller.

The groundsman at the SCG looked like he was heading to a wedding after tending the wicket

Jubilation almost turns to calamity for Marsh brothers

As the Marsh brothers celebrated Mitchell reaching his century in the middle of the wicket both of them forgot to check if the ball had actually reached the boundary. It had not. As a result they had to scramble back to make their respective grounds and just avoided a calamitous wicket. Steve Smith was the only one who seemed to notice.

Mitchell was bowled by Tom Curran shortly after but the brothers had already become just the third pair to both score a ton in the same Ashes Test (the others being the Chappells 1972 and the Waughs 2001). 

The Marsh brothers are nearly run out as they celebrate Mitchell reaching three figures

Boycott tries on a baggy green

There have been lots of unwanted sights in this series for England supporters and you can add another to that list with the defection of Geoffrey Boycott. The BT Sport pundit and England legend tried on of the famous Australian 'baggy green' hats during day four to break English hearts further.

That is Geoffrey Boycott commentating whilst wearing a baggy green, what an awful sight