English skipper Joe Root praises for his courageous display of cricket from his opponents as well after leaving his sick bed to bat on the final day of the fifth Ashes test on Monday.
Root was taken to a hospital overnight for gastroenteritis but made it to the ground to briefly resume his innings before England suffered an innings and 123-run defeat that gave Australia a 4-0 series triumph. As the hosts celebrated a comprehensive win on the field at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Root was asleep in the dressing room leaving vice-captain Jimmy Anderson to fulfil his media duties.
Talking about the same, Anderson said, “He was up all night with some sort of stomach bug, some gastro thing. I think the heat over the last couple of days has taken its toll. Hopefully, it’s just a simple bug that a bit of sleep and a bit of rehydration will get him back to 100 percent. He’s not has any sleep, he’s not eaten. He’s had diarrhoea and vomiting, so I’m guessing he’s not in a great state at the minute.”
England’s captain did not resume his innings straight away as he came out to bat Moeen Ali had been dismissed. He managed to score his half-century before suffering a recurrence of the symptoms at lunch and retiring hurt on 58.
Praising Root’s spirit, Australian skipper Steve Smith said, “It took a lot of courage to come out and bat, you could see he was struggling a fair bit, particularly when he was running between wickets. He’s a tough character so he must have been in a pretty bad way not to come out after the break.”
Root was criticized earlier for some of his decisions as captain in the Ashes series and failed to score a hundred with the bat but Anderson said his courage had exemplified his leadership in Australia.
Praising his captain further James said, “To get to the ground in itself is a great effort and then to strap his pads on and bat for as long as he did was a brilliant effort from him and just shows what sort of character he is. He wants to lead by example for this team. He’s been a fantastic captain throughout this tour.”
