England have made a strong start to backing up their first win in Australia for 15 years last week, posting a 384 first innings total with an early tea taken on day two in Sydney.

Highlighted by a superb 160 from veteran Joe Root, the tourists refused to allow Australia to string together wickets in a fashion which has typified the series.

With a pair of key wickets, Boland took 2-85 for the innings, only bettered by Michael Neser's 4/60 reached in cleaning up the tail on Monday afternoon, including the breakthrough earlier in the day.

12 months ago, Boland steered Australia to their first Border-Gavaskar series win in a decade with career-best figures of 10/76 against India at the ground.

With early signs, the SCG deck would provide batters much more of an opportunity than the whirlwind two-day contest seen in Melbourne, making the series 3-. Boland looked to give the home side a healthy advantage, seeing off young English no.3 Jacob Bethell (10) to plunge their start to 3-57.

He caught a faint edge after switching over the wicket before the travelling side's middle well and truly settled into their innings.

Root and Harry Brook (84) built their fourth wicket partnership past 150 runs before bad light, and later wet weather, brought the first day to an end before the scheduled tea break.

The pair added another fifteen runs at the restart on Monday before Boland had his second.

With Australia desperate for the interruption, Brook played a rare loose shot, steering a healthy edge to Steve Smith at first slip - FOW 4-226.

England skipper Ben Stokes provided Australia their only back-to-back wickets amongst recognised batters when he departed without score when DRS picked up an edge off Mitchell Starc's bowling.

Chasing wins in the final two matches of their tour after the urn was confirmed to remain with Australia after 11 days of cricket, the mid-to-lower order again steadied to frustrate home fans.

Boland played a hand in another wicket to help keep England's innings from all but ending any chance of an Australian win.

Keeper Jamie Smith neared a half century (46) in another strong partnership with Root before finding the Gulidjan seamer in the deep when Marnus Labuschagne was thrown the ball before stumps.

Without a dedicated spinner in Australia's attack, Labuschagne, bowling medium pace, and Travis Head's part-time tweakers were looked to in a bid to disrupt.

Smith had earlier turned around on his walk back to the pavilion by a Cameron Green no ball, before tthecatching chance found the boundary when neither Alex Carey nor Beau Webster moved behind the stumps.

Boland looked Australia's best after the lunch break, beating the bat and forcing lbw shouts for no reward after the break, particularly once nip and bounce re-entered the game with the second new ball.

Green picked up a wicket, with Starc ending with 2-93.

England were all out for 384 at the tea break on day two in Sydney. Travis Head and Jake Weatherald got to 50 without loss in response after the break.