ROOT READY FOR SLEDGING WAR

ENGLAND are steeled for a sledging war in the Ashes series with suspended Ben Stokes the expected focus of Australia’s barbs, captain Joe Root said on the team’s arrival in Perth yesterday. Root, who made it clear before departure that they must be prepared for Stokes’s possible absence for the entire five-Test series, said his team were ready to deal with any heat that comes their way. “Potentially they might (sledge us about Stokes),” Root told reporters. “But Ashes cricket – there’s always an edge of psychological banter. Once you’ve played in a few, you sort of know what to expect and you know how it goes leading up to the games. I’m sure there will be plenty of banter flying around on and off the field. That’s something you’ve got to cherish and relish and be able to look back on at the end of your career and say, ‘I gave it my best shot, and I enjoyed it’.” Former Australia Test captains Steve Waugh and Ian Chappell are among those who believe England can’t retain the Ashes without the influential Stokes. The controversy surrounding him has given Australia plenty of sledging ammunition, according to their feisty opening batsman David Warner. Warner has already voiced his desire to ramp up his trademark on-field aggression in the coming series. “The history, the pride that is at stake. As soon as you step on that line it’s war,” Warner told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation this month.