Ashes 2019 | It does hurt, it is bitterly disappointing, says Joe Root after Edgbaston loss
Captain Joe Root described England’s comprehensive 251-run defeat by Australia in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on Monday as “bitterly disappointing.” Going into Day five still needing 385 runs to win, the English were skittled out for 146, with Nathan Lyon picking up six for 49.
At the end of the Edgbaston loss, England will look back and wonder exactly how they managed to lose by a whopping 251-run margin. The World Cup winners took a 90-run lead in the first innings and had the Aussie openers back in the hut with less than 30 runs on the board. From there, however, it was all Australia. With the help of centuries from Steve Smith and Matthew Wade, and some lovely knocks from Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, and James Pattinson, they set England a near-impossible target of 398.
The Three Lions opted to survive and looked comfortable at it till Cummins broke through. Between Cummins (4/32) and Lyon, they cleaned up the English for just 146. “It does hurt. It is bitterly disappointing. We played really good cricket in the majority of the Test match. Credit to Australia. They fought hard to get back in it,” Root told AFP.
Root heaped praises on Smith’s twin-ton (144 and 142) return to Test cricket. “[Steve Smith played] two brilliant innings. We have to keep working hard to get him out,” Root said.
England suffered a major blow on Day one when their lead-bowler James Anderson felt a tight calf muscle after bowling only four overs. Root has come under some criticism for selecting Anderson, who had suffered a tear on the same muscle just last month. However, Root struck back with a solid reply to the critics.
“Obviously it was hard that we lost Jimmy early on. These things happen. We have to take it on the chin and come back hard at Lords. It was a group decision to select him. He passed all of the fitness tests. It is one of those freak things that happen in cricket. It is disappointing. We have got to respond to that and get things right,” Root added.
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