Now we can go and win the Ashes, says Root
JOE ROOT believes England can head into this winter’s Ashes confident of achieving ‘something really special’ after finishing his maiden summer as Test captain with two series wins.
Another swing bowling masterclass from Jimmy Anderson, who returned the best figures of his career a matter of hours after becoming the first Englishman to reach 500 Test wickets, set up the nine-wicket victory at Lord’s — a result that went some way to flatten the bump in the road that was Headingley.
The emphatic response in the decider against West Indies followed a 3-1 series scoreline versus South Africa, but attention now switches to not only defending the urn but emulating the 2010-11 England vintage by winning on Australian soil.
‘There are plenty of challenges that lie ahead but with those challenges comes a great opportunity,’ said Root. ‘We have done some good stuff this summer which means we shouldn’t be afraid of going over there and — if we perform at our best — doing something really special. We have all the attributes to go down there, put in some strong performances and get good results.
‘Across the summer a number of guys have really stepped up and taken their games forward and that’s what you want, guys that have been set up within the team kicking on and contributing consistently, making themselves more of a presence in world cricket.
‘We start preparing now, ahead of things, so when we get to
Australia we are already one step ahead of where we might have been.’
Nobody has embodied the spirit within Root’s team better than Anderson, who put a chequered 12 months with injury behind him by accumulating 39 Test wickets at 14.1 runs apiece — among his compatriots only Jim Laker, with 46 in 1956, has taken more in an English summer.
Despite his 35 years, age has not withered him, according to Root, who said: ‘This summer has been unreal for him but I wouldn’t say I am surprised how it has turned out. He is desperate to carry on, to play as much as he can for England while he can and it has shown what he is still capable of. Putting in his career-best figures shows he is still desperate to kick on and do more great things.’
Question marks hung over the Lancastrian’s fitness at the start of the summer when, after finally overcoming a stress fracture of the shoulder blade that had plagued him for the best part of a year, he succumbed to a groin injury.
But his body has proved robust through an intense two months, which bodes well for five Ashes Tests in a six-and-a-half week period.
England will manage his workload in the build-up in the hope he can emulate his form of seven years ago when he finished as the most prolific bowler on either side.
Of his value, Root added: ‘He has a number of different tricks up his sleeve, the control he has with a ball that’s doing a minimal amount and one that’s hooping around is remarkable really, how he can find the optimum amount of pace to work in different conditions and on different surfaces. He provides relentless pressure for batters.’
West Indies captain Jason Holder said: ‘He’s a quality bowler and when he’s in a spell like he produced here he would be difficult for most teams to face. Trying to counter-act him here in these conditions that really favour him is not easy.’