Brothers live out an Ashes dream

SHAUN and Mitch Marsh made the SCG their own family backyard as they lived out the ultimate boyhood dream, scoring Ashes centuries together against England. And for a moment of crazed jubilation, it appeared the pair were still playing by backyard cricket rules.

After Mitch punched Tom Curran through the covers to bring up his hundred, the pair collided mid-pitch as they celebrated the milestone while the ball was still being returned.

“I went for the high-five and Shaun went for the hug and we somewhere parked in the middle,” Mitch said. “Then we had a split second of panic.”

It was only then the pair split to rush to complete the second, avoiding what would’ve been one of the most calamitous runouts in history. “That was my fault,” Shaun added.

“Emotions got the better of me and I just wanted to give him a hug.

“I saw him starting to celebrate and I lost all concept of where the ball was and what was happening.”

Mitch was bowled the next ball for 101 to one that stayed low from Curran, but his second ton in three Tests was well worth the dramatic celebration as Australia finished the day six wickets from a 4-0 series scoreline. Along with their first century stand, the brothers became just the third siblings to score hundreds in the same Ashes Test along with Ian and Greg Chappell and Mark and Steve Waugh.

None of those though had been achieved while both were at the crease at the same time.

Shaun’s innings ended when he was run out for 156, and capped of a remarkable summer for Australia’s most consistent batsman aside of the series outside Steve Smith.