‘Not playing to survive’: Joe Root defends Smith’s approach after poor dismissal in fifth Ashes Test | Cricket News
England batter Joe Root defended teammate Jamie Smith after his dismissal in the first innings of the final Test in Sydney, saying a batter’s role is to score runs and not just stay at the crease. Root said England were trying to add runs quickly before the second new ball was taken.Jamie Smith’s Ashes campaign continued to be difficult as he fell four runs short of a second half-century in the series. He was dismissed after getting a start, with a commentator describing the shot as “brainless”.Smith backed away to hit a shoulder-high short ball over the off side but found Scott Boland at deep cover. He was dismissed by part-time pacer Marnus Labuschagne for 46 off 76 balls. The new ball was taken five to six overs after his dismissal.Root said the plan was to make the most of the overs before the new ball.“It was completely different that second new ball, and it was almost maximising that 10-over period ahead of facing that new ball,” Root told reporters after the end of play.“You eke out an extra 20 runs that could be the difference later on down the line. So there was a method behind what we were trying to do. We are always trying to move the game forward. It was not necessarily a case of saying, ‘Right, we are going to try and go at 15 an over for the next phase. But you see an opportunity, and you back yourself to make the right decisions,” he added.Root said batters will make mistakes and need to learn from them without being too harsh or too relaxed.“With what he has achieved in his career to date, I am sure he will find a way of getting in that frame of mind next time he goes out and plays. When it does not come off, it can look a certain way, but you are never playing to get out. As a batter, your job is not to survive; it is to score runs. You cannot win games just by surviving. You have to score more runs than the opposition. It is making sure you have a good method in how you want to achieve that,” Root said.Smith has scored 185 runs in five Tests in the series at an average of 23.12 and a strike rate of 74. He has one fifty in nine innings, with a best score of 60.Root also spoke about vice-captain Harry Brook, who missed out on a maiden Ashes hundred in Australia. He said Brook should take confidence from his innings.“Brooky played exceptionally well, and it was a vital partnership for us to play in that manner,” Root said. “I hope he gains a huge amount of confidence from that, not look back at with regret. It could be a vital innings in the context of this game,” he added.Brook is the third-highest run-scorer in the series with 316 runs from five matches at an average of 39.50 and a strike rate of over 81. He has one fifty.England resumed day two at 211 for 3, with Root on 72 not out and Brook on 78 not out. Brook was dismissed for 84 off 97 balls, which included six fours and a six. Root went on to score 160 off 242 balls with 15 fours. England also received support from Smith, who made 46, and Will Jacks, who scored 27 off 62 balls. England were bowled out for 384 in 97.3 overs.Michael Neser was the leading wicket-taker for Australia with figures of 4 for 60. Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland took two wickets each.At the end of day two, Australia were 166 for 2. Travis Head was unbeaten on 91 off 87 balls, which included 15 fours. Michael Neser was not out on 1. Marnus Labuschagne scored 48 off 68 balls, missing out on a half-century, while Jake Weatherald was dismissed for 21.
