Joe Root said that despite England’s horrendous campaign in Ashes 2021-22, he wants to lead the Test side as he feels that he’s the right man to take the team forward and turn things around.
England’s campaign in Australia in Ashes 2021-22, as it started, ended disappointingly. The Joe Root-led side suffered 146 runs thrashing at Hobart, losing the Ashes 2021-22 by the margin of 4-0.
They suffered a 9-wicket thumping in Gabba and then were decimated in a 275-run thrashing in the day-night Test in Adelaide. If this was not enough, they then were pounded by embarrassing innings and 14 runs defeat to go 0-3 down in the series.
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The Joe Root-led side then displayed a superlative effort in the fourth Test at SCG and eked out a famous draw. After their gritty performance in the fourth game, many expected them to put a fight and win the last game of the five-Test series.
They did perform well with the ball but their batting yet again let them down as they lost the match by 146 runs.
During the Test series, Joe Root’s place in the team as a skipper came under scrutiny as many criticised him for his poor tactics. Some reports also suggested that the right-hander is likely to quit the captaincy after the Ashes 2021-22.
However, addressing the press conference after the fifth Test of Ashes 2021-22, Joe Root expressed his desire to continue leading the English Test side. He said that with them going through a tough stage he’d love the opportunity to take the team forward and turn things around.
"I'd love the opportunity to take this team forward and to turn things around. At the moment, we're going through a real tough stage as a group of players. The performances haven't been good enough but I'd love the opportunity to turn things around and for us to start putting in performances you'd expect from an English test team,” Joe Root told reporters.
Root said that he’s the right man to take England forward and if allowed he would love the opportunity to carry that forward.
"I believe I am the right man to take this team forward, in my own eyes, and if that decision is taken out of my hands, so be it. But I'd love the opportunity to carry that forward,” he said.
Joe Root admitted that his side let themselves down and Australia outplayed them in all the areas. He added that his side needs to find a way of turning the things quickly.
“We've let ourselves down because we've not given a fair account of what we're capable of, But, at the same time, it's quite evident that Australia are, at this moment in time, a better team than we are, in all areas.
“It hurts me to say that, but it's the reality of things and we've got to accept that and find a way of doing better. Find a way of very quickly turning things around,” he concluded.
(Reuters inputs)
