England batter Joe Root feels ready to end his century drought in Australia in the upcoming Ashes series, which begins in Perth on November 21.
So far in his career, the Yorkshireman has played 27 Test innings in Australia but is yet to reach the three-figure mark. The former England captain has nine fifties to his name Down Under, with a highest score of 89.
Root led England in the last two tours of Australia. This time, he is part of the team as a specialist batter, with no added pressure of captaincy.
“I feel I’m in a different place compared to the last time I went out there. I no longer have the responsibility of captaincy, and I’m much more experienced,” the 34-year-old told Sky Sports. “I’ve had a good couple of years coming into this and have learned valuable lessons from my previous tours there, both as a batter and a senior player. But I feel ready. These are the big series you want to play in and make meaningful contributions.”
Australia have dominated the age-old rivalry over the past decade. Since 2015, England have not won the Ashes, with their last series victory in Australia coming in 2010–11. Despite the poor recent record, Root remains optimistic about England’s chances this time around.
“I believe this is the opportunity in front of us – one we have to chase and seize,” he added. “If I’m doing my job in the team, then personal accolades will follow, but that’s not the main focus. It’s about winning back that urn – it’s been a long time since we last held it.”
Since 2022, Root has scored more runs in Test cricket than any other player. Over the past three calendar years, the talismanic batter has amassed 1,098 runs (27 innings) in 2022, 787 (14 innings) in 2023, and 1,556 (31 innings) in 2024. So far this year, he has scored 571 runs from 10 innings.
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