It’s the Aussies who should be worrying raps Ramprakash

MARK RAMPRAKASH reckons Joe Root has enough talent at his disposal to silence the Aussie Pom-bashers.

The former Test batsman, 48, also claims it is the hosts who are struggling with selection headaches and have star players out of form. Ramps is busy knocking Root and his troops into top shape for Thursday’s first Test at the Gabba.

He is confident the batting line-up – ridiculed by some as England’s weakest ever – has what it takes to not just compete but triumph Down Under.

He said: “They love a bit of Pom-bashing here. There’s always been plenty of chat from the Aussies when England come over. But we have just been going about our business in a quiet way and trying to stay under the radar.

“If you look at our team sheet, we have proven big-match winners like Root, Alastair Cook, Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow.

“So there are plenty of reasons to believe this England team is more than capable of not just matching the Australians but actually beating them in their own backyard.

“It will be important to get off to a confident start and play well in the opening Test in Brisbane.

“I played against a fantastic Aussie team in the past which had no real weaknesses. Batting, bowling and fielding, they were outstanding cricketers who maintained a high performance level throughout a series. “But that’s not the case with their current team. They have players who have not been scoring runs. “They have a few holes in their team and there’s no reason why we cannot apply pressure on those areas.”

On his role of sharpening up England’s batsmen, Ramps (below) said: “We are aware of the challenges that lie ahead and it’s important to make the batsmen know what to expect and how to cope when they walk out there for the first Test. “Technically they have to be 100 per cent and mentally they have to be in the best frame of mind. “You need to hit the ground running in an Ashes series against good Australian bowlers.

“We don’t want anything the batsmen come across to be something of a shock. “Australia have a really formidable record at the Gabba but it’s about time England won a Test in Brisbane.

“Saying that, a lot of my Aussie friends make England favourites to win the pink ball game, which is the second Test in Adelaide.

“The ball moves around a little bit there which should suit Anderson and Chris Woakes.

“Then to the WACA where Australia have a strong record so it’ll be interesting to see how the series progresses from one Test to another.”