Steve Smith on Joe Root: "It took a lot of courage to come out and bat. He's a tough character so he must have been in a pretty bad way not to come out after the break. You never want to hear that someone's ill, it's not a nice place to be."
Monday 8 January 2018 07:49, UK
Joe Root retired injured on 58 on day five of the fifth Test in Sydney, after suffering from a viral gastroenteritis bug .
Root was taken to hospital on Monday morning and missed the start of play, not returning to the crease when play began at 11.30pm GMT.
Root was due to bat alongside Jonny Bairstow, having reached 42 not out in England's second innings on Sunday evening, but was missing having arrived at the SCG after being treated for vomiting and diarrhoea.
Root came out to bat midway through the morning session after Nathan Lyon dismissed Moeen Ali lbw for 13, reaching his 37th Test fifty.
However, his symptoms returned during the lunch interval and he did not bat after the break as England slipped to an innings and 123-run defeat and a 4-0 series loss. SCORECARD
Sunday's temperatures in western Sydney were the highest recorded in almost 80 years - in the suburb of Penrith, the mercury reached 47.3 centigrade, a figure not seen in the city since 1939.
Speaking after the game, England vice-captain James Anderson said of Root: "He's not been too well throughout the night - he's not had any sleep - and it's taken its toll on him. I think the heat yesterday didn't help.
"I'm guessing he's not in a great state at the minute. Hopefully it's a simple bug and a bit of sleep and re-hydration will get him back to 100 percent.
"To get to the ground in itself is a great effort and then to strap his pads on and bat for as long as he did was a brilliant effort from him - it just shows what sort of character he is.
"He wants to lead by example for this team. He's been a fantastic captain throughout this tour."
Australia captain Steve Smith said of Root: "It took a lot of courage to come out and bat, you could see he was struggling a fair bit, particularly when he was running between wickets.
"He's a tough character so he must have been in a pretty bad way not to come out after the break. You never want to hear that someone's ill, it's not a nice place to be."
