Ashes debacle an opportunity to prioritise Test cricket, says Root

HOBART: England skipper Joe Root said their disastrous Ashes campaign should serve as an opportunity to prioritise Test cricket again after their collapse in Hobart on Sunday saw Australia claim the series 4-0.

England have reinvented themselves as a white-ball powerhouse since their early exit from the 2015 World Cup, winning the next edition of one-day cricket’s biggest title on home soil. But their record in the longest format of the game has been less impressive in recent years, and Sunday’s loss in Hobart was their 15th consecutive Test in Australia without a win.

“There are certain things that definitely need to change,” Root told reporters after England lost 10 wickets for 78 runs in little more than an hour and a half to crumble in the fifth and final Ashes Test. “We’ve got an opportunity to really prioritise Test cricket off the back of this and make a real significant change to the game and prioritise this team. Let’s hope that happens in due course.”

Root has said he would like to continue as captain though former skipper Mike Atherton has called for a complete overhaul of the England management. “I think there’s a lot of things to consider, going from some long-term things to some short-term things,” Root said.

“I’m sure I’ll get an opportunity to express my views on things, and how I think we can make significant changes to the red-ball game in our country.”

Root’s team could not reach the 300-mark in 10 innings, and Jonny Bairstow’s 113 in Sydney was the only hundred posted by an English batsman.