Watch: ‘Not about me’ says Root as he targets first century in Australia
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Joe Root says it is his “job” to make a positive batting impact for England at the upcoming NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes, but dismissed the significance of him never making a century in Australia.Root – who captained England in Australia four years ago – was named in England’s 12-player squad for the opening Test at Perth Stadium on Friday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
He is a part of Brendon McCullum’s team who are aiming to win the Ashes on Australian soil for the first time since 2010/11.
And, speaking to TNT Sports, Root said influencing England in a positive manner with the bat is ultimately the most important thing, rather than focusing on the fact he has yet to make a Test hundred in Australia, having had 14 attempts to do so.
“I just feel again it’s my job in this team to score as many runs as I can and affect games for England in a positive manner with the bat,” Root said.
“So every time I go out there, I’ll try and have the same approach, and coming here in a different capacity – four more years’ experience, no responsibility of captaincy, no Covid distractions or any other things to contend with – alongside trying to be a good senior player and making sure that I’m as ready as I can be with bat in hand.
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“I think more than anything it’s just enjoying every game, and get to grips with the surface, and try to get on top of the opposition when the chances arise.
“This tour is not about me, it’s about us collectively doing something special as a group of players. It’s about building those big partnerships that set games up and that can hopefully chase down targets.
“I know that if I play in the manner that I have done in the past couple of years I can give myself a good chance of getting in strong positions with the bat and we will see where that leads to.”
Root stepped down as captain in April 2022, a few months after England were defeated 4-0 in the 2021/22 Ashes series.
He said he has enjoyed his time since relieving himself of captaincy duties, and is relishing the prospect of competing in Australia without that added weight.
“I’ve really enjoyed the last four years, the time I have had since stepping away from captaincy,” Root added.
“It’s a great country, it’s a great tour to be involved with and I just want to enjoy it and experience all the great things Australia has to offer, both in terms of atmospheres and games we will play out on the field, but also what a brilliant country it is as well.
“To not have the extra workload, extra stuff to deal with that you do as captain will be quite nice. Just determined to enjoy every aspect of this tour.”
‘We’ve got some different tools’
England named five pace bowlers in their 12-man squad for Friday’s opener, but also kept their spin opens option with the inclusion of Shoaib Bashir.
Their approach may end up depending on the Perth Stadium surface, which is expected to dry throughout the week, but Root feels his side have many different facets to hurt Australia.
“We’ve got some different tools to hit them with, especially with the ball,” Root said.
“More pace, bounce and variety within our attack which is really important in these conditions, especially if it gets quite placid at times and it doesn’t move around as much. The fact we’ve got different options to go to will work really well.
“We’ve got quite a settled batting line-up which we didn’t have on the previous two tours, so the fact that guys are really comfortable and understand what their role is within the team, it’s nice to have that clarity going into the series, and hopefully that can bring the best out of us as a group.”
England have ‘different tools to hit Australia with’ this time – Root
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Root added the weight of expectation is always heavy when pulling on an England shirt, and feels adjusting to the Australian conditions early will be key to their success in the upcoming five-match series.
“Every time you pull on an England shirt and play a Test match, that’s the feeling you have going into the game,” he said.
“You are so desperate to get across the line, but ultimately, it should not change your approach. You have to adapt to the conditions you are confronted with, you have to try and out-skill and nullify the opposition and the threats they pose and find ways of putting them under pressure when you can.
“And that never changes. The art of playing away from home is trying to get to grips with the conditions, the things that are different, the things that you might be comfortable with and used to playing back home and being able to manage them really well for long periods of time.
If we can do that, we will definitely be in the contest, and hopefully we can find ourselves on the right side of some results.”
