Joe Root frustrated with England capitulation in first Ashes Test defeat

Joe Root frustrated with England capitulation in first Test

England captain Joe Root has admitted that he is 'frustrated' with how England performed with the bat during the first Ashes Test with Australia.

A first-ball duck for Rory Burns on day one set the tone in Brisbane, the tourists posting scores of 147 and 297 during their two innings.

All but 126 of their runs in the second innings came from Dawid Malan and Joe Root, emphasising how England were dominated by Australia's bowlers.

While Root praised the effort of his bowlers, the 30-year-old called for improvements elsewhere if England are to bounce back from the nine-wicket defeat.

Speaking after the game, Root said: "It's frustration. We worked hard to get back in the game. We hoped to post some sort of total today. The pitch was a little uneven and cracks were appearing. but we couldn't get through that initial phase.

"Our selection? It's easy to say with hindsight. We wanted variation in our attack, move through different gears. Our bowlers were excellent, but we have to be better in the field. Likewise with the bat.

"We showed fight and character for some of the second innings and know where we have to improve."

The second Test, a day-night encounter in Adelaide, gets underway on Thursday.

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