- Joe Root was fielding and batting in extreme heat on fourth day of final Test
- Root was also suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea at start of the final day
- The England captain ended the fourth day on 42 not out at the SCG
- Root and his team-mates trail Australia by 210 runs with just six wickets left
England’s ill-fated Ashes campaign ended on a worrying note on Sunday night when captain Joe Root was hospitalised with severe dehydration after fielding and batting in extreme Sydney heat on the fourth day of the final Test.
Root was also suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea at the start of the final day of a series that has provided the fiercest possible examination of his fledgling captaincy skills.
The England captain had been on the field virtually throughout the fourth day when temperatures of 47 degrees, the highest on record for Sydney, were recorded in Sydney and the heat in the middle of the SCG hit an extraordinary 57 degrees on the stress heat tracker.
England’s Joe Root was hospitalised with severe hydration ahead of the final day of the Ashes
Clearly that has taken a huge toll on Root, who also suffered a nasty blow on the index finger of his right hand which was due to need an x-ray after he finished batting in the final Test.
It could be that he is a doubt for the one-day series that follows even without this latest health scare.
Root was not out overnight and clearly any hopes England had of surviving the last day with a draw were dependent on him batting nearly all day. And it has emerged that the captain will not be fit to resume his innings at the beginning of play.
Root had been on the field virtually throughout the fourth day in the blazing conditions