“I think I’m the right man to take this team forward. I want to continue and turn it around. If they take that decision out of my hands, so be it”; England lost 10 wickets by just 56 runs on the third day of the Final Test as Australia cruised to a 4-0 Ashes victory
Joe Root says he wants to stay on as England test captain after the Ashes’ 4-0 loss to Australia, but admits the decision could be out of his hands.
A 146-run thrashing at Hobart on Sunday condemned England to a 10th loss in their last 14 Test matches, with just one win in that time.
Root was also captain when England lost their previous Ashes away series 4-0 in 2017/18 and was in charge of the home series in 2019, which finished level 2-2.
The 31-year-old has led England in a record 61 Tests, winning 27, losing 25 and drawing nine.
Said Root, “I think I’m the right man to take this team forward. I’m looking forward to continuing and turning things around. If that decision gets taken out of my hands, so be it.”
“Right now we are going through a very tough stage as a group of players and the performances have not been good enough.
“But I would love the opportunity to try to turn things around and for us to start featuring performances from an English test team.”
England bowled for just 124 in their second innings of the fifth Pink Ball Test, losing 10 wickets for 56 runs having gone 68-0 in a 271 chase for victory.
The Tourists only passed 200 four times in 10 innings during the series, with a best of 297.
Root said: “It’s disappointing to take such a beating. It’s hard to take one more time. It’s clear and very obvious what we need to do to improve, the adjustments that need to be made.”
“There are certain things that definitely need to change. We have an opportunity to really prioritize Test cricket and make a really significant change to the game, to prioritize this team.”
“Hopefully that will happen in due course. I think there are a lot of things to consider, from some long-term stuff to some short-term stuff.”
“I’m sure I’ll get a chance to put my point of view on things and how I think we can make significant changes to the red ball game in our country. Let’s see how things progress in the next few weeks.”
“A lot of guys will look in the mirror and say, ‘I haven’t given a very good account of myself.
“We have let ourselves down because we have not given a fair account of what we are capable of. At the same time, it is quite evident that Australia, at the moment, are a better team than us in everything.” areas
“It hurts me to say that, but it’s the reality of things. We have to accept that and find a way to be better.”
England’s torrid year in Test cricket included a 3–1 series loss in India, a series loss at home to New Zealand and then the Ashes’ defeat when they failed in their attempt to win back the urn.
Former England batsman Mark Ramprakash says Root must take “some responsibility” for the way the Ashes beat him, but warned against removing him as captain.
Ramprakash said Sky sports news: “Joe Root was captain four years ago when England lost 4-0 at the Ashes then, and it would be easy to say his time is up and the captain needs to take responsibility.
“However, I have a lot of sympathy for Joe Root. He’s a magnificent batsman and therefore a great role model for the Test side. He’s had a lot of experience as a captain now, and while I’m not saying he’s the best captain I’ve ever seen. I’ve met him, he has a lot of attributes, he’s incredibly popular with these players, I think he communicates well with them and sometimes as a captain your players just let you down.
“I think the questions are about the strategy, the vision, the tactics, Joe Root has to take some responsibility, but I also think it goes right in the door of the coaches and the management.
“I can’t name too many candidates to be honest with you. Rory Burns is Surrey’s captain and has been for a number of years but he’s not necessarily sure of his place. One of the problems with the England Test squad at the moment is you really don’t know what the core of the team is.
Speaking in SportFormer England batsman Mark Butcher said he would look closely at the position of Silverwood, who is currently in the joint role of manager and national team manager.
