Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow fall as Australia strike late at SCG

Joe Root once again failed to convert a Test fifty into a hundred as Australia took two late wickets with the second new ball on day one to take control of the fifth and final Ashes Test at the SCG.

Root, alongside Dawid Malan, looked to be batting England into a solid position after hitting his 36th Test half-century, but Starc (1-63), returning to the Australia line-up after injury, picked up the crucial wicket of the England captain (83) in the penultimate over of the day.

The wicket brought Jonny Bairstow (5) to the crease as England refused to send out a nightwatchman and the decision backfired as Josh Hazlewood (2-47) struck to leave England 233-5 at the close.

Malan, who struck his fifth half-century in 10 Tests, will resume on day two unbeaten on 55 and there will be a lot of pressure on the Middlesex left-hander to guide England to a competitive first-innings score as they bid for a consolation victory to reduce the series deficit to 3-1.

No play was possible during the first session at the SCG but when the light rain subsided, England, who handed Mason Crane his Test debut, won the toss and chose to bat first under cloudy skies in Sydney.

After an early lunch, play eventually got underway at 12.40pm local time and in what was a frantic start to the innings, Mark Stoneman raced to 24 off as many balls, hitting four boundaries before falling caught behind off Pat Cummins.

The wicket brought James Vince to the crease and he also played an eye-catching innings for 25, putting on 60 for the second wicket with Alastair Cook, before in all too familiar style giving his wicket away with a loose stroke outside the off stump.

It gave Cummins his second wicket of the day and Paine his second catch but at the other end, Cook looked back to his obdurate best following his unbeaten 244 at the MCG.

However, his stay at the crease ended shortly after the dismissal of Vince, falling for 39 - five short of 12,000 career runs in Tests - when Hazlewood won a fine-margin lbw call on DRS.

The opener's departure made it two wickets lost for the addition of seven runs, but Root and Malan saw England through to the tea interval.

They pushed on after the break in what was an extended final session, adding 133 runs as both Root and Malan, who was dropped on 34 by Steve Smith off the bowling of Nathan Lyon, passed fifty.

England looked to be building a solid platform for a huge first-innings score but the second new ball worked wonders for the hosts as Starc struck with eight balls left in the day.

Root, who has now converted just two of his previous 15 Test fifties into hundreds, flicked a catch to Mitchell Marsh at square-leg in Starc's first over with the second new ball.

With just minutes left in the day, it was Bairstow that came out to bat and not a nightwatchman, and it will be a decision that is heavily debated as England's wicket-keeper fell caught-behind to Hazlewood's last ball of the day to leave the tourists reeling.