JOE ROOT climbed from his hospital sickbed but could not prevent England crashing to another defeat in the Ashes series.
The Aussies rampaged to victory by an innings and 123 runs in the Fifth Test and clinched an emphatic 4-0 triumph.
Captain Root showed plenty of fortitude after being taken to hospital early in the morning here suffering from what team medics called a “viral gastroenteritis bug.”
They insisted it was not heat exhaustion caused by temperatures in the middle reaching 55 degrees on day four.
Root arrived at the ground shortly before play – still wearing his hospital wristband – but did not resume his innings immediately. He came out to bat when Moeen Ali was dismissed and actually looked very comfortable at the crease.
Root faced 43 more balls but then started to feel worse again and did not re-appear after lunch.
A team spokesman said: “Joe was feeling exhausted at the lunch break and rested in the dressing-room. He is feeling unwell and some of the symptoms have returned.”
It meant England’s innings finished with Root 58 not out – his fifth half-century of the series – and a team total of 180 all out.
The rest of the batting did not delay Australia for long.
Moeen was lbw to a straight ball from off-spinner Nathan Lyon – the seventh time in nine innings that Lyon has dismissed Moeen. It equalled the world record for the most times a bowler has removed the same batsman in a Test series.
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Bairstow and Root survived until lunch. But, with Root confined to the shade and relative coolness of the dressing-room, Bairstow departed almost immediately after interval – lbw to a full delivery from Pat Cummins.
Cummins bounced out Stuart Broad and Mason Crane and James Anderson was given out caught behind off Josh Hazlewood. Tom Curran was left 23 not out.
Root received a standing ovation when he came out to bat and he certainly tried his heart out on this tour. But his first overseas mission in charge goes down as a meek surrender with England thrashed and outclassed.
There will be post-mortems and reviews but head coach Trevor Bayliss and assistant-coach Paul Farbrace are likely to remain in place. National selector James Whitaker’s role will come under the microscope.
England were inferior in every way, apart from catching. The pace in Australia’s attack, plus the spin of Nathan Lyon, destroyed the Poms.
Australia were able to pile up huge totals against an England bowling line-up that lacked penetration, variety or, aside from James Anderson, much skill.
Off the field England have been embarrassed, too, with Jonny Bairstow’s “headbutt” incident and Ben Duckett’s drink-throwing creating unnecessary distractions.
The Ben Stokes scandal undermined the trip before it started, yet it took the players and hierarchy far too long to realise the consequences of his Bristol punch-up.
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