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.

“I believe I am the right man to take this team forward, in my own eyes, and if that decision is taken out of my hands, so be it,” he added.

“But I’d love the opportunity to carry that forward.”

Root has been publicly outspoken about the deficiencies of both his bowlers and batsmen over the series and said the squad had to accept they were clearly second best on this tour.

“We’ve let ourselves down because we’ve not given a fair account of what we’re capable of,” he said.

“But, at the same time, it’s quite evident that Australia are, at this moment in time, a better team than we are, in all areas.

“It hurts me to say that, but it’s the reality of things and we’ve got to accept that and find a way of doing better. Find a way of very quickly turning things around.”