Star batsman Joe Root has discussed the challenge as England gets ready for the highly anticipated Ashes series in Australia, which begins on November 21. Root has yet to get a century in Australia, even though he is among the most successful Test batsmen of his generation. However, he views the forthcoming tour as more about winning the Ashes than it is about reaching personal goals.
He has amassed 892 runs at an average of 35.68 in 14 Test matches played on Australian soil, including nine fifties but falling short of the three-figure threshold. With three scores in the 80s, his greatest score is still 89. Root scored 322 runs on England’s most recent trip in 2021–2022, which ended in a 4-0 loss, however he was the team’s leading scorer.
Even without the significant breakthrough, Root has had an outstanding record in Australia.
Root is ranked 17th on the all-time Ashes run lists with 2,428 runs in 34 Test matches, including four hundreds. He once again showed off his skills at home in 2023, scoring 412 runs at an average of 51.50. The discussion of his personal accomplishments was dismissed by the right-handed batsman.
“Making 100 is not the goal of this tour. Our goal is to go and win an Ashes series. We have a tremendous chance to go and do that if I, as an experienced player, go out and make big scores and big 100s. It is recognising that position on the squad and working as a team to achieve those high scores, as we have done this summer and in previous years. Hopefully, that results in winning cricket matches after that. “It’s okay if I receive personal recognition,” he said on Sky Sports.
We’re entering the game with a different group and a different mindset: The root
Meanwhile, England’s cricket has evolved under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum thanks to their “Bazball” strategy. Root thinks this change offers England a fresh strategy.
“That’s a tough series against a team that has a strong home record, particularly against us in the past. Having just played some excellent cricket, we’re going out there with a different team, a different mindset, and a different style of play. That should put us in a terrific position, and we should be able to execute things excellently and make some history,” he continued.
Test team for England’s Ashes trip of Australia
Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes (C), Harry Brook (VC), and Gus Atkinson.
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