Joe Root Aims to End Ashes Drought as Preparations Intensify

England batter Joe Root is gearing up for the upcoming Ashes series, determined to leverage his extensive experience to secure a long-awaited victory in Australia. With 158 Test matches under his belt, Root feels better prepared than ever to break the winless streak that has plagued the team on Australian soil.

Root recently moved to second place on the all-time Test run-scorer charts during England’s five-match series against India, which concluded with a 2-2 draw earlier this month. He has accumulated 13,543 runs, trailing only the legendary Sachin Tendulkar who leads with 15,921 runs. Despite his impressive statistics, Root has yet to win a Test or score a century in Australia, where his average stands at 35.68 over 27 innings, including nine half-centuries.

Reflecting on his previous tours, Root stated, “Having played in Australia a couple of times before, now going with 150-odd Test caps under my belt, I feel I couldn’t be more ready for it.” He acknowledged that his desire to score a century in earlier series may have hindered his performance. “The thing that stands out for me is I probably wanted it (a century) way too much the last couple of times. It took me away from what was important,” he admitted.

The Ashes series has not been kind to England in recent years. Australia secured victories in both the 2017-18 and 2021-22 series, winning each 4-0. England’s last triumph in Australia occurred during the 2010-11 series, which remains the last time the team won a Test on Australian soil.

Root highlighted the challenges faced during his previous tours, which included distractions such as being captain and the impact of COVID-19 during the 2021-22 series. He also recalled the incident involving teammate Ben Stokes, who was ruled out of the 2017-18 tour following an altercation at a nightclub. “There were a lot of distractions,” he noted, adding that he wants to focus on enjoying the experience this time around. “This time I want to just go and enjoy the tour for what it is. It is a beautiful country, it is a great place to go and play cricket.”

The 2023 Ashes series kicks off in Perth on November 21, followed by a day-night match in Brisbane, the third Test in Adelaide, and the traditional matches in Melbourne and Sydney in December and January. Root’s focus is clear: if he delivers his best performances, he believes everything else will fall into place.