Joe Root insists he is 'right man' to take England Test team forward, 'If it is taken out of my hands, so be it'

England Test captain Joe Root has insisted that he is the right person to lead the team after a 146-run defeat in Hobart sealed a 4-0 series defeat for them in the Ashes.

Root's five-year reign as skipper was called into question as the tour lurched from one heavy defeat to another one but the 31-year-old batsman made it clear he wanted to stay in the job.

"I'd love the opportunity to take this team forward and to turn things round," he told reporters.

"At the moment, we're going through a real tough stage as a group of players.

"The performances haven't been good enough but I'd love the opportunity to turn things round and for us to start putting in performances you'd expect from an English test team."

Asked whether he was merely hoping for an opportunity to quit the captaincy on a high after a successful series, Root was adamant.