Strauss: Root can win in Australia

ANDREW STRAUSS believes Joe Root has the credentials to join an elite band of men by leading England to Ashes victory on Australian soil. Strauss, Mike Gatting, Mike Brearley and Ray Illingworth are the only England captains to have won a Test series Down Under since the mid-1950s. ‘It was my greatest moment as an England captain, and I think Joe will be incredibly motivated to do that early in his captaincy career,’ said England’s director of cricket, who fronted the 2010-11 success. ‘He’s shown that he’s very much his own man, he’s got his own way of thinking about the game and that will stand him in very good stead in Australia.’ Root, 26, began his Test captaincy with back-to-back home series wins over South Africa and West Indies, but his tactical acumen and temperament will be under examination in the highpressure environment of a fivematch, seven-week Ashes series which starts at The Gabba in Brisbane on November 23. ‘It’s the biggest challenge an England captain will ever have,’ added Strauss. ‘You are living in this incredible bubble for a long period of time, and everything is directed towards you in terms of what’s happening on the pitch. ‘The conditions in Australia are changeable from one venue to another, to different periods in the game, and you need to be able to adapt to the conditions you see in front of you.’