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Joe Root has declared himself ready to thrive in this winter’s Ashes, having changed his approach to focus more on getting himself in the ideal frame of mind rather than fixating on his technique.
Root goes into the one-day international series against New Zealand having not played since early September, since when his only batting has come in the indoor nets in Sheffield. “It’s been nice to have a break,” Root said.
“With what we’ve got coming up, it’s important to utilise that. I’ve done a little bit of batting, not loads. I’ve tried to get a good bit of separation, just trying to get that feeling of excitement again, almost like that feeling of being a kid at the start of the season and trying to harness that ahead of what’s to come.
“But my Ashes preparation started back home. I think how I prepare now is different to how I would have done 10 years ago. A lot more mental. I used to be very technical in how I used to prepare. I’d want to make sure that everything felt lined up and my feet were in the right place, whereas now I’m a little bit more concerned about how I’m looking at the game, how I’m going to approach different situations.”
Root’s comments chime with those made this week by the former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who predicted that Root would break his century drought in the country – the only one where he has played more than three Tests and never reached triple figures – if he gets his mentality right this winter.
“I think he’s better equipped as a player than ever,” Ponting said. “But you also know that little man sits on your shoulder [and] keeps telling you: ‘You haven’t done well here in the past,’ and: ‘You haven’t got a hundred here.’ That’s why it’s a mental thing for him, this series, more than anything else. He’s got to get over that little mental hurdle and get a hundred. And I actually think he will get that hundred this time around.”
Having captained England through the 2017-18 and 2021-22 series, Root will travel to Perth next month without that burden for the first time since 2013. “I look at it this time and I’m in a completely different stage of my career. I’m no longer captain, I’m playing some really good cricket, and we are playing in a really exciting way.
“We’ve got a great group of players that can go there and hit them with different tools than we’ve had on previous tours. So when you look at it like that it’s a really exciting prospect. Australia are really good in their own conditions, with a great record at home, especially against us, but that’s the exciting bit, right? There’s an opportunity there to do something a bit different and hopefully achieve something really special.”
England hope to use the ODI series in New Zealand that starts on Sunday morning to improve their standing in the format, which has slumped after poor displays at the 2023 World Cup and in this year’s Champions Trophy – they go into it ranked eighth, five places below the Black Caps.
“I don’t think it’s arrogant to say if you look at the quality within our squad, we’re not an eighth-in-the-world team,” Root said. “We should be competing and jostling for that top spot. That’s the opportunity that lies ahead of us in this series and building to the next World Cup [in 2027]: can we work our way up towards that top end? I don’t think it’s as bad as it looks, I don’t think it’s a fair reflection on where we are as a team.”
In Australia, Nathan Lyon believes that Pat Cummins is unlikely to be fit for the first Ashes Test in Perth, but the captain could return to action for the second Test in Brisbane after “training his backside off” to overcome a back injury.
The spinner told ABC Sport: “Perth might be pretty difficult, if I’m being honest. But realistically, I think there’s still a big goal to potentially play Brisbane [or] Adelaide. I personally think we’ll see him involved in the series at some stage.
“He’s doing everything that he possibly can. That’s one where you’re really proud of him as a mate but also as a teammate and your captain, he’s really leading the way by setting the example. He’s training his backside off. I’ve seen him doing the work and you know the class of the player, but also the professionalism of Pat. He’s giving himself the best chance and that’s all we can ask.”
