England's cricket captain battled through food poisoning to play in the blistering final day of the Ashes

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• Joe Root looked uncertain to start in the final day of the Ashes after spending the previous night in hospital.
• The England cricket captain was reportedly suffering from gastroenteritis (food poisoning).
• Root came on to bat regardless, but could not continue after lunch.
• England went on to lose the Ashes series 4-0.

England's summer of cricket in Australia took a turn for the even worse, with captain Joe Root spending the night in hospital suffering severe dehydration.

Root was the sole figure of resistance in England's attempt to overhaul Australia's first innings total yesterday. He finished the day on 42 not out after batting for almost three hours. Some commentators noted he looked "ailed" at the SCG.

England Cricket confirmed Root was uncertain to start this morning:

The BBC reported Root was suffering "severe dehydration with diarrhoea and vomiting".

Sydney sweltered through temperatures soaring above 40C in the city yesterday. Further west, Penrith recorded a top of 47.3C at 3 pm, the second-highest maximum ever recorded in Sydney.

On the ground, players were given an extra drinks break each session, and a "feels like" tracker produced a reading of 57.6C out in the middle.

The highest Ashes temperature recorded came in Adelaide in 1908, when the mercury reached 43.1C, but there is no official Bureau of Meteorology station at the SCG.

Some English players took to wearing wet towels around their necks, but Australian batsman Shaun Marsh still refused to wear sunscreen on his arms due to a superstitious belief it affected his batting.

UPDATE: The England and Wales Cricket Board reported that Root was suffering from gastroenteritis (commonly known as food poisoning). Root resumed his innings but could not continue after lunch.

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