BEN CAN HELP US LIFT URN
Root backs big pal Stokes
JoE Root boards the Australia-bound plane tomorrow alongside the fitagain Ben Stokes in the belief that England’s talismanic all-rounder can be the difference in this winter’s Ashes.
Root said his lifelong friend and vice-captain Stokes was a ‘massive asset’ in trying to regain the urn, referencing his defiant brilliance in one of Test cricket’s most thrilling victories at Headingley two years ago and his maiden international hundred in Perth on the 2013-14 tour.
Stokes declared himself available last week following finger surgery and Root said: ‘obviously, it’s massive news. Speak to anyone within the game whether they’d prefer to have Ben in their team or not and everyone would say yes.
‘First and foremost, his performances on the field, especially against Australia in the recent past, have been outstanding.
‘For him to be involved again and back with a smile on his face playing cricket is an exciting prospect for all of us.
‘Looking at how he performed in his debut series out there, that hundred he scored, the five-for in the last Test match — it shows he can perform in those conditions and those sort of wickets suit the player he is.
‘We’re still managing expectations — he’s been out of the game a long time, he’s had a serious injury and he’s got a lot of work to do to get himself back to the Ben Stokes we all know. But if there’s one thing we can bet on with Ben it’s that he’ll do everything he can to ready himself and then put in performances that help England win games of cricket.’
Root is attempting to defy the odds and become only the second England captain behind Andrew Strauss to win a Test series Down Under in 35 years.
He is also desperate to improve a personal record as a batsman in Australia that has seen him average only 38 in nine appearances — way down on his career mark of 50.
‘I think I probably wanted it too much. I was too desperate and it probably had a negative impact on the way I played,’ said the player who has struck six of his 23 Test hundreds this year.
‘I put too much pressure on myself and I think one of the things that has really helped me this year is stripping a little of that back, enjoying my cricket and my batting and understanding my own game.’
The Test specialists among the 18-man England squad, plus a number of families, will be based on the Gold Coast for the first fortnight.
All members of the touring party are required to hard quarantine in their rooms for three days before spending the next 11 days within the environs of the hotel. During that latter period, the players will be able to train at the nearby Metricon Stadium. Those arriving from the T20 World Cup later this month will also have their loved ones in tow should they so wish, while a third entry point for families has been arranged before
Christmas.