Veteran England batter Joe Root played an anchoring role in the chase of the 4th Ashes Test, scoring 15 off 38 balls, holding the ship at one end while allowing others to take calculated risks as well. However, he was given out lbw with England still needing 17 runs as well.

“I was pretty confident by that point. It was disappointing to get out at that stage,” Root said. “You want to be the guy to take responsibility and see your team home but that wasn’t to be. To win the game, that’s the most important thing and I’m really pleased and proud of all these lads. There were quite a few of them on their first tour so for them to experience a win here I think is really important. Like I said, we’ve got to make sure we improve on it and take the confidence from it into the next game.”

However, one of those younger players who shone was Jacob Bethell, who batted at No. 4 and played an important role in the chase with a 40 off 46 balls, hitting five fours as well. His knock also showed bravery.

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“Outstanding,” Root said of Bethell. “The conviction that he played with, the smarts that he had, using the crease, making it difficult for the bowlers to hold length and just operate where they wanted to. It takes bravery, it takes courage and it takes a lot of skill to execute as well as he did. I think it was outstanding. It’s why I think he’s going to have such a bright future in international cricket.”

Meanwhile, England captain Ben Stokes was equally impressed by Bethell’s contribution in tough conditions as well.

“Beth, very, very crucial knock there for us in tricky conditions,” he said. “And he showed the class that we see in him to be able to go like that. And yeah, unfortunately, he just managed to smoke one straight to cover. But no, I thought the partnerships they were able to build in the way that we did that in that run chase was exceptional.”