You never expect Australia to make it easy: Root after England’s historic MCG win

England batting great Joe Root praised his team’s resilience and character after the visitors ended a 14-year wait for a Test victory in Australia, securing a four-wicket win over the hosts in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The world’s top-ranked Test batter had endured three previous Ashes tours Down Under without tasting success, but that personal drought finally ended as England chased down a target of 175 in a dramatic two-day contest. The moment brought visible relief for Root as the winning runs were struck, even though the Ashes urn was already out of England’s reach.

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Reflecting on the achievement, Root highlighted the importance of how the team responded after losing the series.

“Obviously, to lose the series is very disappointing, but I think it was really important that we showed a lot of character for the rest of the series. A lot has been thrown at this team, and the way we responded over these two days has been excellent,” Root told host broadcaster Fox Sports after the victory.

The match was played at a frenetic pace on a surface that heavily favoured the fast bowlers, with all four innings completed inside two days. Root felt England adapted well to the conditions and made the most of the opportunities that came their way.

“Clearly it was a very fast-forward Test match with the surface we were presented with, but I think we adapted to it as well as we could and exploited it when we had the opportunities,” he said.

“We showed a bit of bravery today in the way we approached things with the bat, and that’s why we won the Test match.”

Despite the team’s success, Root endured a difficult outing personally. He was dismissed for a 15-ball duck in the first innings and added only 15 during the chase, as England briefly wobbled with the finish line in sight. When Ben Stokes was also dismissed soon after, Australia sensed a late opening.

However, Harry Brook and wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith held their nerve to guide England home and secure a rare away victory against their oldest rivals.

Root admitted that nothing comes easily against Australia on their home turf and said past disappointments made the win even sweeter. “You never expect them to make it easy,” Root said.

“I’ve been on the wrong side of the result a lot here, so you know what to expect. You know how good Australia are in their own conditions, but the fact that we managed to get across the line today is excellent, and hopefully we can improve again next week.”

The series now moves to Sydney for the fifth and final Test, with England hoping to build on the momentum gained from their morale-boosting victory in Melbourne.