As injured wicketkeeper Jos Buttler prepares to fly back home, England skipper Joe Root complimented his team's character for fighting off Australia's winning drive and fighting on for a tough draw in Sydney on Sunday.
James Anderson and Stuart Broad played out the final two tense overs to earn a fighting draw for the desperate tourists and prevent powerful Australia from a fourth consecutive Test win in the lopsided series.
It comes after England lost the Ashes, losing the first three Tests in less than a month overheated infighting about the players', coaching staff's, and captain's performances.
Despite failing to reach 300 in any of their eight innings so far in the series, England saw the draw as a test of character, with nothing to play for but pride.
"The boys have really stood up and shown a lot of character and pride in this game, and it's extremely good to come out and do that." This is a huge step in the right direction. It's a positive step forward, and one on which we must develop as we prepare for the last Test in Hobart."
Root, who had a score of 0 and 24 in a low-key match, chose to focus on the positives.
"Today show how important it is to them. When you're out of the series, it's critical that you come out and express how much it means to you again," he remarked.
"I believe everyone did that this week."
Injured pair Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow were singled out by Root for their efforts to their team's draw.
Stokes' brave 60, his second half-century of the match, and first-innings centurion Bairstow's 41 kept the Australians in touch.
"After taking the whack (thumb), Jonny's effort was some of the best batting I've seen him deliver in an England shirt," he remarked.
"It showed a lot of character and put the team first, much like Ben and Jos."
"Jos is returning home." This is a very serious injury. "It takes a lot of guts to stand up after that knock."
After the Test, team management announced that Buttler would return home on Monday after injuring his left leg.