Joe Root has come to the defense of his England teammate Jamie Smith after the wicketkeeper-batter faced harsh criticism for his dismissal in the first innings of the final Sydney Test against Australia. Root emphasized that a batter’s job is to “score runs, not to survive” and backed Smith’s aggressive approach, despite the controversial manner of his dismissal that left many questioning his shot selection.

Root backs Smith’s intent despite “brainless” dismissal

Jamie Smith’s Ashes series continued to be a challenging one as he fell four runs short of what could have been his second fifty of the series, getting out in a manner described by a commentator as “brainless”. The wicketkeeper-batter backed away to smash a shoulder-high short ball over the offside, but managed only to find Scott Boland at deep cover, giving his wicket to part-timer pacer Marnus Labuschagne for a 76-ball 46.

Root defended Jamie’s approach, explaining that the team was trying to maximize the final overs before the new ball was taken—which eventually came five to six overs after Smith’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.

“Your job is not to survive; it is to score runs”

The former England captain acknowledged that batters do make mistakes and need to learn from them, urging Smith not to be “too hard on himself” but to remain realistic about what he needs to improve.

“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,” Root 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—far below the standards expected from England’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter.

Root’s confidence in Harry Brook despite century miss

On Harry Brook, the vice-captain who missed out on a maiden Ashes century on Australian soil, Root expressed hope that Brook would gain confidence from his knock of 84 runs in 97 balls.

“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.”

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’s first innings performance and Australia’s reply

England started day two at 211/3, with Root (72*) and Brook (78*) unbeaten. While Brook missed out on a century, Root went on to play one of his finest knocks, scoring 160 in 242 balls with 15 boundaries, getting solid support from Jamie Smith (46 in 76 balls) and Will Jacks (27 in 62 balls), 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 each.

Australia ended 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) missed out on his fifty while Jake Weatherald (21) failed to convert another start.