The England team management has come under scanner after conceding the urn in 11 days.
Veteran batter Joe Root has thrown his weight behind under-fire England team management, saying that it would be “silly” to make changes after losing the Ashes as players are “absolutely committed” to the current set-up.
The Ben Stokes-led side arrived in Australia with a lot of expectations, but ended up conceding the urn in just 11 days -- the joint-second quickest in more than a century.
The Three Lions suffered back-to-back eight-wicket losses in Perth and Brisbane, before facing an 82-run defeat at the Adelaide Oval.
The visitors salvaged some pride with a gutsy four-wicket victory at MCG. It was their first Test win Down Under in 15 years.
“In terms of the playing group, we’re absolutely committed to the management,” Root, England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer and a former captain, told English media in Melbourne.
“Yes, we can be better, and there are certain areas that we’ll continue to keep working at, but the management works extremely hard.
“They might do things in a slightly different way, 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.”
The Melbourne came as a major relief for coach Brendon McCullum, skipper Ben Stokes and cricket chief Rob Key, who have all indicated they want to stay in their roles. Management’s case to stay on would be bolstered by another win in the Ashes finale at SCG, starting January 4.
England’s 0-4 thrashing on the last tour of Australia in 2021-22 saw coach Chris Silverwood and cricket director Ashley Giles losing their jobs.
However, Root emphasized a lot of progress had been made since under the current regime.
“You look at the group of players 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,” he said.
“This team has improved. I think it would be silly (to consider change) for the amount of hard work and things that have been done.”
More than 12 years after his first Ashes Test in Australia, Joe Root finally tasted victory at MCG and he said it “would be better if we win next week as well”.
“If we can build on it and do it again next time, it’s momentum in the right direction for the next tour here (in 2029-30),” he added.
(With AFP Inputs)