Root: Australian insults fire my team up
Joe Root told Australia to bring on the brickbats because they provide England with extra motivation ahead of the Ashes.
Although the tourists have arrived in Australia on the back foot without Ben Stokes, Root was in bullish mood in his first press conference in Perth after former Australia captain Ian Chappell wrote off the tourists’ prospects and batsman David Warner told England to prepare for “war”.
“That drives us and motivates us to prove them wrong,” said Root. “There’s always a psychological edge to the Ashes ... I’m sure there’ll be plenty of banter flying around on and off the field.
“We’re very confident. We’ve got very good, experienced players that have been here and won before – and some very young, exciting players that are desperate to prove to everyone how good they are. We’re a completely different side to the last time we came here.”
England’s ‘missing man’ Stokes continued to dominate conversation, although Root said he was “completely in the dark” about whether their key all-rounder will join them.
Claims from two gay men that Stokes had been defending them from homophobic abuse in the lead-up to his arrest on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm outside a Bristol nightclub may help his case, although Root said England have “got to plan as if he’s not going to be here”.
“As a friend, I hope [this] can be good news for Ben. But the reality of it all is we’ve all got to wait and see,” said Root.
Stokes remains under investigation by Avon & Somerset Police and will not be considered until there is an outcome. “In terms of the criminal investigation, we have to let the police get on with that. We’re completely in the dark as to what’s going to happen,” he said.