"I have an appetite to carry on and turn things around" - Joe Root wants to continue as England's Test captain

England captain Joe Root wants to stay in the role despite an abject end to the Ashes series against Australia. Although the right-handed batter says he is keen to lead the Test side, Root has left the decision to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

England suffered another humiliating batting collapse on Day 3 of the final Test in Hobart, losing nine wickets in a session to lose by 146 runs. The tourists crumbled from 68-0 to 124 in the fourth innings, chasing 271 for their first Test win in Australia since 2011.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Root declared he remains fit to lead and is eager to restore England's reputation as a Test side. The 31-year old admitted it's a challenging time for the players as they haven't stepped up to the task.

"I believe that I am the right man to take this team forward. If that decision is taken out of my hands, so be it. I have an appetite to carry on and turn things around.

"At the minute we are going through a real tough stage as a group of players and the performances haven't been good enough, but I'd love the opportunity to try to turn things around and for us to start putting in performances from an English Test team," Root stated, as quoted by BBC.

Root, who entered the series as the top-ranked Test batter, ended another stint Down Under winless and without a hundred. However, he finished as England's leading run-getter with 322 runs at 32.20 and three fifties.

"It's a difficult one to take yet again" - Joe Root

Australia v England - 5th Test: Day 3

Root acknowledged that England needed sweeping changes after a disappointing performance. The Yorkshire batter especially lamented the tourists' batting displays, saying they were highly responsible for their 4-0 loss.

"It's disappointing to be beaten as heavily as that. It's a difficult one to take yet again. It's clear and very evident what we need to do to improve, the adjustments that need to be made. There's a lot of talent on show. We've just not turned it into performances.

"As a batting group, we were bowled out for under 200 far too many times and you are never going to win Test matches without runs on the board. We just need to be far better than we have been."

England head to the West Indies next for five T20Is and three Tests. It will be interesting to see the ECB's decisions moving forward.