Root and England determined to head Down Under in positive mood

JOE ROOT’S first summer as England captain faces a defining final Test in a Lord’s decider against West Indies.

Root’s hosts suffered an unexpected setback at Headingley last week when the West Indies defied their critics and shocked England by pulling off their first Test win in this country in 17 years when prevailing by five wickets.

It will be an uncomfortable bottom line for the Yorkshireman’s maiden season in charge if, in the last of seven Tests in nine weeks, England come up short again and are forced to reflect on a decidedly mixed campaign of one 3-1 success over South Africa but then a 2-1 failure against tourists who have not won a Test series in this country since 1988.

No-one will be able to quibble with Root’s own output, of course, as he goes in search of a world-record 13th consecutive Test with at least one halfcentury against his name.

He has been his own biggest critic of late, citing the need to turn more of those 50s into centuries.

Although England have come to rely on their captain’s wonderful consistency at No 4, Root’s returns are not among the conundrums they need to solve before the start of their Ashes campaign in Brisbane in November.

With just this Test to do so, Tom Westley’s as yet inconclusive regression at No 3 is top of the list requiring a solution and the likely identity of their third seamer at the Gabba is another after England opted to replace Chris Woakes with Toby RolandJones here.

After their Headingley defeat, Root backed his players to bounce back in positive fashion.

“Credit to the West Indies they played very well last week, but we’re a strong side and we’ve shown over the course of this summer and in the past that we’ve been able to come back from difficult weeks,” said Root.

“Every time you go out there and play Test cricket you are going to have to show great character and mental strength and physical fitness to come out on top.

“We go into every game trying win, I know that sounds pretty obvious but you want good results in behind you going into a big series like that (the Ashes), but more importantly we want to make sure that we play well this week and win this series.”

Asked about the prospect of going above AB de Villiers as the outright holder of the record for consecutive matches with halfcenturies, Root said modestly: “I would much rather it be hundreds.”