Joe Root claimed England’s dramatic draw in Sydney had restored pride in his team and represented “a small step forward” after their Ashes disappointment.
Root’s side batted for the entire fifth day at the SCG, clinging on as they finished on 270 for nine with last man James Anderson arriving at the crease to see off the final over of the match.
While the urn was already lost after three hefty defeats over 12 depressing days of action, this was a much-needed show of resilience from a side that had been widely tipped to capitulate 5-0.
Three batters survived for 100 balls or more – Zak Crawley, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow all carrying a sizeable share of the load – while Anderson’s late act of defiance was preceded by gutsy innings by fellow tailenders Stuart Broad and Jack Leach.
Root, for once, was not central to his side’s efforts having fallen for 24 in the afternoon session but he has long shouldered too much of the burden and was delighted with what he saw.
“It’s a small step forward. Coming into the game I spoke a lot about putting pride back into English cricket and into our Test performances,” he said.
“I think the fight and the desire and the character shown here in these five days has done that in a small way. We never make it easy for ourselves do we?
“It would have been nice if all the work had been done by the top order, as you always want, but it doesn’t seem to fall like that. We found a way to get it done today and it was very much a team effort.”
Root was desperate not to add a 5-0 defeat to his CV as well as a second series loss Down Under and that is now off the table, meaning no repeat of the 2006/07 and 2013/14 nadirs.
When England were bowled out for a dismal 68 on the third morning of the Boxing Day Test, no such salvation seemed possible.
“It’s hugely important, especially on the back of the previous Test which was a really dark day for English Test cricket,” he said.
“It would have been easy to roll over and feel sorry for ourselves. The guys were trying to put some pride back in the badge and show how much they care about playing for England. We didn’t win the Test match and were a very long way behind the game but we found a way to get a draw and that shows the character, the pride and the desire the guys feel when they put on an England shirt.”
Three of England’s top seven carried painful injuries into the day’s play, Stokes battling a side strain, Bairstow with a badly hurt right thumb and Jos Buttler nursing a fractured left index finger.
While the first two head to Hobart for the series finale uncertain of their participation, Buttler has already been ruled out and could yet struggle to make the West Indies tour in March. It is not impossible that he has even played his final Test. Sam Billings has joined the squad as cover and should deputise in Tasmania.
“Jos is going to have to fly home, he won’t take any further part in the tour,” said Root.
“It’s quite a serious injury, so for him to front up as he did from the moment he took that knock shows how much he cares and how much it means for him to play in this Test team and for England.
“The guys could all see a number of the players hurting physically and still putting in a huge amount. In many ways it lifted the rest of the group and I’m really proud of the way they stood up at times while clearly in a lot of pain, to produce for England.
“There was clearly a bit of pain relief required out there. It’s not just a physical element but the psychological, knowing you’re going into a pressure situation not 100%.
“To be able to perform at the level that some of the guys did was phenomenal and shows a huge amount of character. It’s a step forward for the team, definitely, in some quite difficult circumstances.”
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
