His own returns have been poor by his high standards; that breakthrough 138 not out doing a lot of heavy lifting for a series average of 33.42, kept low by familiar issues outside off stump. On a spicy MCG surface that resulted in a two-day finish – “I wouldn’t want to bat on it every week, put it that way” – Root bagged his second duck of the tour in the first innings, then 15 in the victorious pursuit of 175.
Root is far from the problem, of course. Since the Ashes were spurned inside 11 days, the duo of head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key have come under fierce criticism on matters ranging from a lack of adequate pre-series preparation and coaching issues.
Neither McCullum nor Key know what their futures might hold, that decision ultimately in the hands of chair Richard Thompson and chief executive Richard Gould, who returns to the tour in Sydney. But Root believes the management have the full backing of the team and have the track record to continue in their roles. Particularly after rousing the team to notch this consolation win.
“In terms of the playing group, we’re absolutely committed to the management,” said Root. “They’ve been outstanding.
“You look at the group of players that we’ve got and you look at the guys that were involved in the team when I was captain, four years ago, and you look at their records individually, and every single one of them has improved as a player. This team has improved as a team. So I think it would be silly for the amount of hard work and things that have been done.”
“Clearly it’s been a very different approach and different way of doing things, but there’s been a considerable move forward in terms of how we’ve played throughout that period,” Root insisted. “And clearly, there’s always going to be things to do and things to work on.
“Yes, we can be better and there’s certain areas that we’ll continue to keep working at but that management work extremely hard. They might do things in a slightly different way and it might appear different to what we’re used to as an English team, but I think we’ve make great strides as a group and a big reason for it is because of the guys that we have behind us.”
Undoubtedly, the staff and indeed players deserve huge credit for the about-turn, even if it ends up being for just one Test on a spicy pitch. The fallout from the confirmation of a series defeat in Adelaide, and hangover from the four-day break to Noosa in between the second and third Tests led to an emotional press conference from Stokes, vowing to protect his players from the circling media storms.
The result was an all-round display of defiance, even if ultimately in vain with Australia keeping the urn.
“It feels weird,” said Root of the victory. “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 into the next game as well.
“Of course, whenever you lose a series, it’s very disappointing. And every time you go out there, you’re doing everything you can to be on the right side of the result.
“I didn’t want to come here and lose another Ashes series. But unfortunately, sometimes you get outplayed, you make a few mistakes, and against good opposition, they hurt you. That’s what happened on those occasions. But it was really important that we responded well to that, and when we got our opportunities this week, we did that.”
Root turns 35 on Tuesday, and while it is highly likely he will get another shot at the Ashes in the 2027 home summer, it is reasonable to posit the fifth Test in Sydney will be his last in Australia. Nevertheless, he sees no reason why next week’s series-closer cannot be an opportunity for more immediate joy, and provide green shoots for the 2029-30 campaign.
“It would be better if we win next week as well. Every Test match, every time you get the opportunity to represent your country, is a huge privilege, huge honour. A series like this is steeped in history, and historically it’s been very difficult for us to win here.
“If we can build on this and do it again next time, it’s momentum in the right direction for the next tour here. There are things that we’ll have to keep looking to learn from and develop from, but I try not to do too many regrets. I think you’ve got to look forward. You’ve got to look at how you can affect things in in the near future. Ultimately, that starts with Sydney, and then we’ll go from there.”
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
