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England Cricket Captain Joe Root Hospitalised With Dehydration After Temps Topped 57 Degrees

Criticisms of play continuing despite extreme heat above 57 degrees.
England's captain Joe Root during the fourth day of the fifth Ashes cricket test match.
David Gray / Reuters
England's captain Joe Root during the fourth day of the fifth Ashes cricket test match.

England cricket captain Joe Root was hospitalised with dehydration and was unable to resume play on Monday morning, after apparent temperatures soared above 57 degrees celsius in the middle of the SCG on Sunday.

Root spent the night in hospital with severe dehydration, according to the English team. Sunday was the hottest Sydney day in 80 years, with official temperatures in Penrith reaching 47.3 degrees -- making it the hottest place on Earth. Out in the middle of the Sydney Cricket Ground, it felt even hotter, with apparent temperatures above a mind-boggling 57 degrees.

Root left hospital on Monday morning and arrived at the SCG for the the final day of the fifth Ashes test, but was unable to resume his innings. He was replaced by team-mate Moeen Ali in the middle, but is hoping to retake his position later in the day.

The English captain spent almost the entire day out on the field, first fielding as Australia batted for most of the day, then taking his place on the pitch early in the English batting innings after his team lost a few quick wickets. In total, Root was only off the field for five overs of Sunday's play.

Australian batsman Mitchell Marsh said Sunday's heat was almost overwhelming.

"This morning was one of the hottest conditions I've batted in in Australia," he said.

"Even the warm-up was boiling hot."

HuffPost Australia has contacted England Cricket for comment on Root's condition and the decision to continue play despite Sunday's extreme heat, but many online have criticised officials for keeping the game running. For comparison, tennis officials at the Sydney International stopped play on Sunday after temperatures went above 40 degrees.

Former Australian player Dean Jones also called for change.

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