Ashes 2021-22: Root would 'love the opportunity' to revive sorry England

Hobart, January 16: Joe Root believes he remains the right man to take the England Test team forward, despite their humiliating Ashes series defeat in Australia.

The hosts clinched a 4-0 series victory by winning the fifth Test in Hobart on Sunday (January 16) following yet another England batting collapse.

Chasing a target of 271 to end the series on a high, the tourists reached 68-0 but then lost all 10 wickets for 56 additional runs as they suffered a 146-run defeat.

It marked the 10th time in 14 Test matches that England have been beaten – tasting victory just once during that span – with Root's captaincy coming under scrutiny during the series.

Nevertheless, he underlined his hunger and desire to put things right in the role as skipper.

Ashes 2021-22: Australia seal 4-0 series victory following England's latest batting collapse

"I believe that I am the right man to take this team forward," Root said.

"I have an appetite to carry on and turn things around. If that decision is taken out of my hands, so be it.

"At the minute, we are going through a real tough stage as a group of players and the performances haven't been good enough.

"But I'd love the opportunity to try to turn things around and for us to start putting in performances from an English Test team."

Speaking to BT Sport, Root said: "A number of things have to change. In the short term, guys have to learn quickly. If you want to survive at this level, you have to learn quickly. What they are lacking is the opportunities to do that at the level beforehand.

"We need to sit down and have a clear look at what direction English cricket needs to take, what direction English Test cricket needs to take to improve and improve quickly. That is not going to change overnight."

He added: "It has been a frustration throughout. We have played good cricket in parts but not managed to string a whole game together.

"We have to learn from these experiences and get better, not come away and make the same mistakes. That is the challenge moving forward."

Australia skipper Pat Cummins, meanwhile, declared his side want to make their mark on foreign soil after a resounding victory.

"It is pretty crazy," he said. "As a professional cricketer, these are the series you have in your diary a couple of years out, so to come out with so many positives and winning 4-0, I am pumped.

"It feels like we are really building to something big. Now we want to share our wares overseas."