"Job is to score runs, not survive": Root backs Smith after poor dismissal at SCG

Sydney [Australia], January 5 (ANI): England batter Joe Root defended fellow teammate Jamie Smith for his dismissal in the first innings of the final Sydney Test, saying that the job is to "score runs, not to survive" and said that the team was just trying to get some extra cushion of runs before the new ball was taken.
Jamie's Ashes continued to get worse for him as he not only fell four runs short of what could have been his second fifty of the series, but also got out in a manner described by a commentator as "brainless", once again throwing his wicket away after a fine start.
Jamie backed away to smash a shoulder-high short ball over offside, but managed to find Scott Boland at deep cover, giving his wicket to part-timer pacer Marnus Labuschagne for a 76-ball 46, which could have been something bigger, with the batter battling a lean patch.
Root defended Jamie, saying that it was about maximising those last few overs before the new ball was taken. The new ball was eventually taken five-six overs after Jamie's dismissal.
"It was completely different that second new ball, and it was almost maximising that 10-over period ahead of facing that new ball," Root told reporters after the end of day's play.
"You eke out an extra 20 runs that could be the difference later on down the line. So there was a method behind what we were trying to do. We are always trying to move the game forward. It was not necessarily a case of saying, 'Right, we are going to try and go at 15 an over for the next phase. But you see an opportunity, and you back yourself to make the right decisions," he added.
Root said that sometimes batters do make mistakes and batters have to learn from it, not be "too hard on themselves, too soft on themselves, but be real and understanding of what they need to do to get the best out of themselves".
"With what he has achieved in his career to date, I am sure he will find a way of getting in that frame of mind next time he goes out and plays. When it does not come off, it can look a certain way, but you are never playing to get out. As a batter, your job is not to survive; it is to score runs. You cannot win games just by surviving. You have to score more runs than the opposition. It is making sure you have a good method in how you want to achieve that," he concluded.
Jamie has scored 185 runs in five Tests so far at an average of 23.12 and a strike rate of 74, with one fifty in nine innings and a best score of 60.
On Harry Brook, the vice-captain who missed out on a maiden Ashes ton, and that too on Australian soil, Root expressed hope that Brook would gain confidence from his knock.
"Brooky played exceptionally well, and it was a vital partnership for us to play in that manner," Root said. "I hope he gains a huge amount of confidence from that, not look back at with regret. It could be a vital innings in the context of this game," he concluded.
In this series, Brook is the third-highest run-getter with 316 runs in five matches at an average of 39.50 and a strike rate of over 81, with a fifty to his name.
England started the day two at 211/3, with Root (72*) and Harry Brook (78*) unbeaten. While Brook missed out on a century, scoring a 97-ball 84 (with six fours and a six), Root went on to play one of his finest knocks, scoring 160 in 242 balls, with 15 boundaries, getting some solid support from Jamie Smith (46 in 76 balls, with six fours and a six) and Will Jacks (27 in 62 balls, with two fours and a six), taking England to 384 in 97.3 overs.
Michael Neser (4/60) was the top wicket-taker for Australia, with Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland getting two wickets.
Australia ended the day two at 166/2, with Travis Head (91* in 87 balls, with 15 fours) and Michael Neser (1*) unbeaten. Marnus Labuschagne (48 in 68 balls, with seven fours) missed out on his fifty while Jake Weatherald (21) failed to convert another start. (ANI)