Joe Root feels “better placed than ever” to score a Test century in Australia as he gears up for a “mentally fatiguing” Ashes series later this year. The former England captain will play his fourth Ashes series Down
Under, starting in Perth on November 21. While questions about his failure to register a century in Australia persist, Root is focused on helping England reclaim the urn.
“I feel I am in a different place to when I last went out there,” Root was quoted as saying to Sky Sports at a celebrity padel event in Sheffield.
Without the responsibility of captaincy and with more experience, Root believes he has learned valuable lessons from previous tours.
“I haven’t got the responsibility of captaincy and I am a lot more experienced. I have had a good couple of years coming in and I have learned good lessons from my previous tours there as a batter and senior player.”
Root Ready For Hundred
Root’s highest score in Australia is 89, made in Brisbane during the 2021-22 series, despite having hit nine fifties across three tours. Now, with 39 Test hundreds — behind only Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting — the 34-year-old believes this could finally be his moment.
“I am sure there is going to be a lot of talk around (me not scoring a hundred as of yet) but I feel ready for it,” Root said. “Big series are the ones you want to play in and contribute in. You want to create memories with the guys that you can share for the rest of your lives. I feel that is the opportunity in front of us that we have to chase and grab.”
Root emphasised that personal milestones are secondary to team success. “If I am doing my role in the team then personal accolades will come, but it’s not the main focus. It’s about winning that urn back as it has been a long time since we held it. I feel we have some serious resources to take out there and hit Australia with. Hopefully, we can get that right so if I am scoring heavily it gives us a chance.”
Reflecting on England’s intense 2-2 series draw at home against India this summer, Root said it provided ideal preparation for the upcoming challenge.
“We got a small idea of what it is going to be like when we played against India – another huge series – so you are sort of ready for the extra stuff that sits around the games. We can take a lot of learnings into The Ashes,” Root said.
“There are extra bits. The mental fatigue, a lot of cricket in a short space of time. It can take its toll mentally as well as physically so you have to have your plans. On the last two tours, there were a number of games, for the first two or three days, that were pretty even before Australia pulled away from us, played the conditions better than us, had better resources than us in those conditions,” he added.
Root also praised captain Ben Stokes, who is recovering from a shoulder injury. “He is looking good. You know he is not going to leave any stone unturned and that he will give himself every possible chance to be absolutely ready for everything that is asked of him physically and mentally. He is very determined for us to give the best account of ourselves”.
(With inputs from Agencies)
