Joe Root laments what Ashes could have been for England
England captain Joe Root wishes his own form was better on the field, and that his teammates’ behaviour was better off it. The net result is that England go into the start of the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground having relinquished the Ashes after Australia won the first three matches of the series.
Root, captaining England for the first time on an overseas tour, failed to lead the way with the bat, scoring 237 runs in the first four Tests, including a drawn match last week at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The touring squad’s behaviour has also been a distraction for Root and coach Trevor Bayliss, who struggled to hide his frustration after the drunken actions of Jonny Bairstow and England A batsman Ben Duckett earlier on the tour.
Bairstow was involved in a head-butting incident at a Perth bar with Australian opener Cameron Bancroft, although both players downplayed the incident. Duckett poured a drink over the head of veteran fast bowler Jimmy Anderson and was suspended and fined. Ben Stokes didn’t make the tour after a latenight incident in Bristol, England in September left him potentially facing criminal charges.
“I’d make sure no one is headbutting anyone, and people were more sensible off the field on the back of what happened in the summer,” Root said Wednesday on the eve of the series finale.
“The way we’ve practiced and prepared, we’ve been excellent. It’s a shame there’s been a few extra instances that could have been avoided. There’s definitely stuff we’ll have to take from this trip and make sure ... we don’t make those mistakes again.”
Root, only 11 Tests into his captaincy, said he hoped to return as captain in four years when the Ashes is contested again in Australia. And he hopes a win in the SCG Test might build confidence for that 2021-22 tour. England were swept 5-0 on the 2013-14 tour to Australia, but regained the Ashes at home in 2015 and had been more confident heading into this series.