Joe Root has urged English cricket to stick to its guns once the Ashes are over, insisting: ‘We’re absolutely committed to the management.’
England’s dramatic four-wicket win in the fourth Test at Melbourne averted the possibility of a third 5–0 whitewash in six trips to Australia, and eased at least some of the pressure on managing director Rob Key and head coach Brendon McCullum, who both admitted they had failed to prepare the players for the series opener at Perth.
But the pleasure of England fans at ending a winless 18-game sequence in Australia has not extinguished the pain of another series defeat, and it was left to Root – who played in 17 of those matches – to explain why he believed now was not the moment for change.
‘It feels weird,’ he said after England had closed the gap to 3–1. ‘It’s disappointing that we’ve lost the series, but it’s really important that we managed to get the right side of the result here, and it’s something to build on into the next game as well.
‘In terms of the playing group, we’re absolutely committed to the management. They’ve been outstanding. You look at the group of players we’ve got, and at the guys involved in the team when I was captain, and every single one of them has improved as a player. This team has improved.’
Joe Root says England’s players are ‘absolutely committed’ to Brendon McCullum
Root said he thought it ‘would be silly’ to change course now, despite the fact that four series against Australia and India in the Bazball era have produced two draws and two defeats. England currently stand seventh in the World Test Championship, though they are third in the ICC rankings.
‘Yes, we can be better and there are certain areas we’ll continue to keep working at,’ said Root. ‘But I think we’ve made great strides as a group and a big reason for it is because of the guys we have behind us.’
Meanwhile, the MCG curator Matt Page said he was in a ‘state of shock’ after Melbourne hosted its first two-day Test in 95 years.
‘I’ve never been involved in a Test match like it, and hopefully I’m not involved in a Test match like it again,’ he said. ‘We know this hasn’t gone as we planned. We will look at what we need to do to improve.
‘I was in a state of shock after the first day. We’re obviously disappointed it’s gone two days. We produced a Test that was captivating, but it hasn’t gone long enough. We’ll learn from that and make sure we get it right next year.’
Ben Stokes said after the game that he would be conveying his disappointment with the surface to match referee Jeff Crowe, while Root was asked whether he felt the pitch had been too bowler-friendly. ‘That’s a question for someone else,’ he said, ‘but I wouldn’t want to bat on it every week – put it that way.’
