Steve Smith and an unresponsive pitch combined to dash England’s hopes of a first win of the series on Saturday, but captain Joe Root praised his team’s “character” for rallying in the wake of their meek surrender of the Ashes in Perth. “It proved this week after three tough games and tough results to come back and put in a performance like that was extremely pleasing for me as a captain. With Smith dismissed for “only” 76 in the first innings, Root’s bowlers were also able to contain Australia to 327, a below-par score on such a lifeless deck. Root tried unconventional fields as his bowlers threw everything at Smith but his team finished the day no clearer about how to dismiss their nemesis without a moving ball. “It’s difficult on that surface,” said Root.

Source: Hindustan Times December 30, 2017 10:07 UTC