Joe Root has shrugged off David Warner’s suggestion that he will need to “take the surfboard off his front leg” if England are to succeed in Australia in this year’s Ashes series.
Root, the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history behind Sachin Tendulkar, is widely regarded as central to England’s hopes of regaining the urn. However, the 34-year-old is still chasing his first Test century on Australian soil, with Warner implying that the former England captain is particularly vulnerable to being trapped lbw especially by Josh Hazlewood.
“Josh Hazlewood tends to have his number quite a lot. He’ll have to take the surfboard off his front leg,” Warner quipped. The recently retired Australia opener is due to face Root in The Hundred at Lord’s on Thursday.
Asked if he had laughed off the comment, Root responded:
“Just that. I can’t control how people view the game or what they say in interviews. It’s nothing new there are always going to be storylines and people looking to hype up a big series. It doesn’t really change anything. It’s irrelevant to me. I just have to make sure it’s not a talking point in six months’ time.”
Root, speaking during an event with Hundred team partner KP Snacks, added:
“When you get out there, you’ve got to impact the game and help the team start well. Business as usual for me. It’s all part of the fun. We’ll see what happens at Lord’s with Warner, but it’s not in my nature to get too verbal.”
The Ashes begins in November, and for Root preparing for his fourth series in Australia the focus is on improving his record there.
“The last couple of tours, I wanted it way too much. It took me away from what mattered. There were loads of distractions, and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I could have. This time, I just want to enjoy the tour for what it is. Australia is a beautiful country, a great place to play cricket. It’ll be hostile everything you’d expect and want from an away Ashes series. I’ve got 150-odd Tests under my belt now, and I feel I couldn’t be more ready.”