Root refuses to play blame game
England captain Joe Root believes his horror Ashes experience will make him a better skipper and cricketer.
Just 10 months into the top job, Root surrendered the Ashes after Australia took an unassailable 3-0 series lead following their crushing innings victory at the Waca in Perth on Monday.
Root entered the series as one of the best batsmen in world cricket, but his return of 176 runs at an average of 29.33 over the first three Ashes tests has cast doubt on his ability to handle the pressure.
Root has also been forced to deal with a series of off-field scandals that has taken his attention away from the job at hand.
First, star allrounder Ben Stokes was arrested before the series even began following an alleged fight outside a Bristol nightclub.
Wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow then had to explain his actions after greeting Cameron Bancroft with a headbutt at a Perth night spot.
And the tour went from bad to worse after fringe player Ben Duckett was punished for pouring a beer over senior team-mate Jimmy Anderson.
Root is now facing the very real prospect of overseeing a 5-0 series whitewash, with the futures of senior players Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali, and Alastair Cook all in the spotlight.
The 26-year-old said it was bitterly disappointing to lose the Ashes, but vowed to learn from the experience.
‘‘As a captain, you take a lot of responsibility,’’ Root said.
‘‘You’re always learning, you’re always finding things out about yourself and your team. That can only make me a better player and a better captain.’’
Root denied the off-field dramas had affected his own form.
Instead, he said it was simply a case of trying too hard.
‘‘I’m not someone who’s going to make excuses and hide behind stuff that’s irrelevant really,’’ Root said.
‘‘Probably the thing that’s been my biggest detriment is trying too hard. I’ve been desperate for us to win this series.’’
Root’s dismissal in the second innings in Perth summed up his plight.
Facing Nathan Lyon’s first delivery of the spell, Root edged a wide one to the wicketkeeper, with the ball deflecting off the gloves and into the hands of Steve Smith at first slip.
Root was criticised for going so hard at Lyon’s first ball instead of taking more time to adjust.
But he said it was a ball he should have put away.
‘‘I’d like to think that if he bowled me that again, I’d smash it for four,’’ Root said.
Root refused to use Stokes as an excuse for losing the Ashes, and said there wouldn’t be a radical changing of the old English guard in the wake of their Ashes flop.
‘‘I’m not going to make excuses about things that are out of our control,’’ Root said. ‘‘We knew that he wasn’t going to be on the tour from the very start.
‘‘And I was very confident that this group of players could come out here and win. Unfortunately it has not turned out like that.’’
England coach Trevor Bayliss conceded Stokes’ sidelining ‘‘changed the dynamics of our team’’.
‘‘But I certainly think the Australian team have been too strong for us, whether he was here or not, - the simple fact is he wasn’t,’’ Bayliss said.
‘‘And the guys in the team, the guys here, took that on board very early. They haven’t been whingeing about him not being here.’’
England’s grim campaign has been lowlighted by misfiring senior players such as Cook, Broad and Ali.
Cook has a meagre 83 runs at an average of 13.83 this series.
Paceman Broad has just five wickets at 61.80 - three of his wickets came in one innings.
Allrounder Ali is also in the doldrums - three wickets at 105.33 and a batting average of 19.33.
But Root backed all the seasoned campaigners to escape from their rough trots, predicting Cook, Broad and 35-year-old swing bowler Jimmy Anderson would still be in the test team in a year’s time.
Cook, in particular, is sadly struggling but Root backed his captaincy predecessor to find form.
Asked why, Root responded: ‘‘The fact that he’s a very stubborn guy that likes proving people wrong could come into it.
‘‘The amount of extra work and hard yards he is putting in behind the scenes tells me that he’s desperate to keep going,’’ Root said.