The Ashes: Joe Root proud of England for showing 'character' in fourth Test

England captain Joe Root was full of praise for England after the fourth Test of the Ashes. The visitors, who have already lost the series, pulled off a thrilling draw at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

England are 3-0 down but the fourth Test was the first time they’ve shown some fight. And that was something not lost on Root.

“It was really important (to see it through). It’s been a difficult tour, we’ve found it tough; but proud of the determination and character in finding a way to get a result,” said Root after the match.

“We said we wanted to put some pride back into the badge and give something back to people at home. Still a long way to go as a team, but Jonny (Bairstow) played as well as he has in an England shirt; Zak Crawley looked very fluent.

“Guys have had injuries, so we showed a great amount of heart and character to come through.”

He was also full of praise for Zak Crawley, and confirmed that Jos Buttler would be going home due to an injury.

“He’s got a very good game, a simple technique that should stand up well. He’s got the qualities to survive at this level.

“Jos Buttler’s going to be going home, quite a bad injury, a shame for him and the team. The way he stood up through the rest of the game is testament to his character.”

How the fourth Test of the Ashes ended

England had begun the day having lost no wickets, but were 8 down with 17 overs left in the day. A salvage job featuring Jack Leash and Stuart Broad was the need of the hour.

The two appeared to have gotten the job done, until the final ball of the 100th over. Steve Smith, in to bowl as the light was so poor only spinners were allowed, got Leach to nick one to David Warner at slip.

The SCG erupted, as the two local lads combined for a wicket that kept the home team’s hopes of a whitewash alive.

However, Broad and James Anderson managed to bat through the final two overs. As a result, the away team salvaged a draw – and put an end to any prospects of a whitewash having already lost the Ashes in the first three Tests.

It was a fitting result, as England had finally shown some fight in the series. However, they are still winless in four Tests Down Under and would like that to change.

The Aussies, by contrast, would love to end the series 4-0 – not just for the humilation, but for the World Test Championship (WTC) points on offer.