Ashes 2021: 3 things England did right in Sydney

James Anderson was on strike against Steve Smith, eight fielders were crouching around the bat and the veteran saw the entire over through. Ben Stokes, in the dugout, could barely watch and eventually applauded in appreciation as England held on for a thrilling draw in Sydney.

The Ashes scoreline now reads 3-0 in favor of Australia as the caravan heads to Hobart.

"Been a difficult tour, we've found it tough, but proud of the determination and character in finding a way to get a result. Said we wanted to put some pride back into the badge and give something back to people at home," England captain Joe Root said at the end of the match.

It has been a difficult Ashes series for England and they will take a lot from this draw.

Here we take a look at 3 things England did right in this match:

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1) Some semblance of score from the openers

Zak Crawley finally got a score for England

England have tried different options at the top but the openers have consistently failed to provide a solid base to their middle order. After a miserable match in Melbourne, England openers Zak Crawley and Haseeb Hameed finally showed a semblance of solidity.

Haseeb Hameed continued to have a disastrous tour, but Zak Crawley scored an enterprising 77 in the second innings to lay a foundation for the batters to follow. He saw off the new ball and this helped Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes stitch an important partnership in the middle overs.

"Zak Crawley looked very fluent. He's got a very good game, a simple technique that should stand up well. He's got the qualities to survive at this level," captain Joe Root said at the end of the match.

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2) England fast bowlers made an impact

Stuart Broad picked up a 5-wicket haul for England

Mark Wood has been the most impactful bowler for England all series. He might have picked up only three wickets, but looked very impressive. He troubled the Australian batters with his pace and ability to extract bounce off a good length.

Stuart Broad showed his class too. He was accurate, unnerving and very disciplined, picking up five wickets in the first innings. This spell provided England with the belief that they could compete in this match.

Writing in his blog for the Daily Mail, Broad said he was happy with his efforts where he was able to pick up the wickets of key Australian players.

"I was delighted to be mixing it with the best of them in David Warner, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja during that first innings at the SCG and I was pleased I managed to stay switched on to the tour both physically and mentally after being overlooked," he wrote.

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3) The fight shown on the fifth day

Jonny Bairstow's century gave England a lot of belief

On a tough tour, England showed a lot of fight and took a resolute approach to hold on to a draw in Sydney. Their batters were battered and bruised, but they never let their guard down.

Ben Stokes suffered a side strain, Jonny Bairstow had a bruised finger. Nevertheless, the wicketkeeper-batter smashed a century in the first innings that gave England belief and followed it up with another resolute knock in the second innings.

Jos Buttler will miss the rest of the tour due to injury, but he still came out on day five and batted for a while to help his side save the Test. Buttler's effort was hailed by captain Joe Root.

"We wanted to put some pride back into the badge and give something back to people at home," Joe Root summarized the importance of this match and this draw.