"I'm very proud of the way we went about it. To come off three very difficult games and put in a performance like that is very pleasing - that's what we are about as a side."
Saturday 30 December 2017 10:52, UK
Joe Root said he was proud of England's display in the fourth Ashes Test at the MCG despite their failure to secure victory.
After big defeats in the opening three Tests, England, who lost the Ashes series in Perth, had high hopes of forcing a win on the final day in Melbourne.
But yet again Root's side had no answer to Steve Smith, who scored an unbeaten 102 as the hosts closed out a draw to retain their 3-0 lead on a dull pitch at the MCG.
Smith, David Warner (86) and Mitchell Marsh did the most to foil England on the final day in Melbourne as Australia comfortably achieved the stalemate, despite having conceded a first-innings deficit of 164 - largely due to an unbeaten 244 from the tourists' back-to-form man-of-the-match Alastair Cook.
England, who have broken an eight-game losing streak Down Under and ended Australia's hopes of inflicting a third Ashes whitewash on them in four tours, now head to Sydney with the knowledge that they can no longer be beaten 5-0, giving Root belated cause for optimism.
"I would never question the character of our squad," Root said. "The way we apply ourselves, the attitude we take is always there. We are a better team than we have shown on this trip, and that's a benchmark for us to move forward."
Reflecting on their improvement, he added: "I'm very proud of the way we went about it. To come off three very difficult games and put in a performance like that is very pleasing - that's what we are about as a side.
"It's a fair reflection of what we are capable of as a team. I'm disappointed that we couldn't quite crack it open - we tried absolutely everything. We have to try and go one better in Sydney and get that win we want."
Meanwhile, Root still believes England's bowlers can get Australia captain Smith out and stop him breaking yet more Ashes records this winter.
The prolific Australia captain took his series aggregate to a remarkable 604 runs at an average of 151 with his third century in four matches, including a career-best 239.
Smith, who finished unbeaten on 102, has faced 1,258 balls - or almost 210 overs - and been out only four times since the series began in Brisbane last month.
The world's No 1 batsman also finished the calendar year as the top Test run-scorer - and warned he is out to start 2018 with further improvement in the final Test.
When asked if England must still believe they can dismiss Smith, Root said: "We have done. Especially when it moves, we are more than capable of doing it.
"We've got to make sure we keep trying every option - and if it is a good surface to bat on, keep trusting what we do."
It is nonetheless ominous that Smith retains an appetite to add to his Don Bradman-esque returns, and was disappointed he eventually had to stop batting at the MCG.
Smith said: "It was a shame we had to call it off in the last hour there... I could have had that other hour out there!
"I feel like my game is in really good order - I'm adapting to each of the bowlers, changing my plans to them and, however they're trying to get me out, I'm making sure I'm in front of the game as much as possible.
"I hope I can keep getting better and end the series really well in Sydney as well."
