England finally showed their true abilities at MCG, says Joe Root

Joe Root praised his players for finally giving a true reflection of their abilities during this failed Ashes campaign following a soporific final day in Melbourne that saw the fourth Test end in a draw and halt Australia’s march towards a second successive home whitewash.

The England captain had previously lamented their inability to string together performances over five days during the slump to a 3-0 scoreline. But while they were thwarted by Steve Smith’s 23rd century and a turgid pitch from which they could prize only two wickets on day five, domination of the match and the rot being stopped offered some solace.

Alastair Cook’s return to form with an unbeaten 244 in England’s first innings and Stuart Broad’s five wickets across the Test meant two of Root’s out-of-sorts senior players also provided some cheer, with the target now to go one better come the finale in Sydney on Thursday.

“I’m very proud of the way we went about it,” said Root after England ended a run of seven straight away defeats stretching back to India last winter. “To come off three very difficult games and put in a performance like that is very pleasing. That’s what we are about as a side and a fair reflection of what we are capable of.

“Of course we didn’t want it to be a whitewash. You could see the way they went about training to prove a lot of people wrong and make sure that we got something good out of this tour.”

Cook was named man of the match for his fifth double-century in England’s first innings, a feat that saw him record the highest score by an opener carrying his bat and thus ensured he spent all five days on the field. As Root’s predecessor, and the captain in charge during the 5-0 implosion four years ago, the 33-year-old has been impressed with how the team has stuck together on this trip.

Cook said: “We have trained really well but we just haven’t quite done ourselves justice on the cricket field. Too many people have been out of form to put Australia under pressure for longer periods of time in the first three games. We just couldn’t quite get over the line. We have one more chance to get that win in Sydney.”

How England shape up at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the New Year Test could well depend on the pitch prepared, with Australia calling up Ashton Agar as a second spinner to their squad in case the venue’s first match of the current season offers some turn.

But there is a strong case for Mason Crane, the uncapped leg-spinner, to play regardless given a series in which Moeen Ali has taken three wickets at 135 runs and was trusted with just 13.2 overs out of the 124.2 sent down to the home side in their second innings.

Moeen’s poor form with the ball has a knock-on effect too. Jimmy Anderson, for example, has only twice sent down more than his 59 overs in this Test and that was back in 2010 and 2012 when part of four-man attack that saw the seamers usually offered relief by Graeme Swann.

Root appeared to chose his words carefully when pressed on the mis-firing all-rounder’s immediate future, perhaps keeping in mind how he himself benefitted from being taken out of the firing line for the corresponding fixture on the last Ashes tour.

He said: “Moeen has struggled this week but is a fine player. Like other guys he has proven before when it is not going his way he is able to wrestle it back in his favour. He will have a big future for England. It is important that everyone knows that.”

Though Smith was happy to criticise the MCG pitch for a lack of pace or bounce - Melbourne Cricket Club issued a statement that said a review would take place - Root remained more diplomatic and praised his opposite number for batting throughout the final day, noting that immense focus was still required when only a draw was possible.

Cook, speaking about Smith’s phenomenal form that sees him going into Sydney knowing even a pair would have him averaging over 100 for the series, added: “When we first saw him we didn’t think he’d turn out to be the player he’s turned out to be.

“You have got to give him a lot of credit, the way he has worked out his game. He sticks to it for an incredibly long period of time and is setting a new benchmark for what is possible.”

(THE GUARDIAN)