Joe Root praises "heart and character" of England side following SCG draw

GEORGE DOBELL: The England captain labelled the performance a "small step in the right direction" while also praising injured trio Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes for their contributions

Joe Root welcomed the "heart and character" of his England side after they escaped from the Sydney Test with a hard-earned draw.

While Root, the England captain, accepted that England had "a long way to go", he did suggest the performance was a "small step in the right direction" after a bitterly disappointing performance in the previous match in Melbourne when they were bowled out for 68 in their second innings.

England will go into the final Test of the series, in Hobart, 3-0 down with the Ashes having gone and sitting bottom of the World Test Championship table.

But, in surviving for more than a hundred overs to secure the draw, England did at least ensure that the series will not finish in a whitewash. And, in a side containing three injured players, Root was impressed by the determination and courage of his players.

"We didn’t win and we were a long way behind the game," Root admitted. "But to get a draw shows character, desire and pride. It was a very important step forward for this group.

^{Root praised the contributions of injured trio Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler [Cameron Spencer/Getty Images]}

"It was hugely important. Especially on the back of the previous Test. That [Melbourne Test] was a really dark day for English Test cricket. It would have been easy to roll over and feel sorry for ourselves. It’s been a difficult tour. We’ve found it tough at times.

"I said at the end of the last game that I wanted to put some pride back in the badge. I think we did that in spades. There’s still a long way to go. We know that. But the guys showed a great amount of heart and character."

The injured players – Ben Stokes (side strain), Jonny Bairstow (thumb) and Jos Buttler (hand) – all played their part in the result, with Stokes and Bairstow both resisting for more than a hundred deliveries and Buttler, despite sustaining an injury that will force him home from the tour before the final game, also providing 45-minutes of defiance.

"I was really proud of the way they stood up to produce for England, despite clearly being in a lot of pain," Root said. "There was clearly a bit of pain relief required. And there’s not just the physical element but the psychological element. Knowing you’re going into a pressure situation in that condition.

"Jos Buttler is going to have to fly home. It’s quite a serious injury. For him to front up from the moment he took that knock shows how much he cares and how much it means for him to play for England.

"And Jonny Bairstow produced some of the best batting I’ve seen him produce in an England shirt. He had taken a painful blow. So for him to produce as he did was remarkable. That partnership with him and Ben Stokes – with both of them in pain – shows the character and fight they have.

"The injury seemed to refocus Ben Stokes. You could see he had that look in his eye. He looked very much engaged in what was going on. It was obviously difficult to see one of your most influential players walk off the field in pain. But his performance with the bat was more like Ben Stokes near his best.

"I’m been proud of the character and the way we stood up today. We found a way to get it done. It was very much a team effort.

"There’s still a lot of hard work to do. We have got to improve and get to a better level. But this is a step in the right direction, albeit a small one."

Our coverage of the Ashes is brought to you in association with Cricket 22

RELATED LINKS (APP OPENS IN EXTERNAL WINDOW)

Scorecard

Ashes Timeline - 4th Test, day 5: Broad and Anderson survive final over for dramatic draw

TEST TALKING POINTS: England's defiance and Crawley's imperious knock

PLAYER RATINGS: Khawaja's game to remember ends in dramatic draw

GEORGE DOBELL: England finally demonstrate much-needed character and fight