Joe Root knows it’s now or never for the Ashes

It is crunch time. England either take advantage of conditions that should suit them better than any in Australia in Saturday’s day-night second Test, or they face another torturous, one-sided Ashes series.

The Adelaide Oval, a pink ball and the promise of cooler ‘English-type’ weather gives England their best chance of hitting back from a nightmare week on and off the field that has led to fears of another 5-0 humiliation.

England have licked their wounds after a 10-wicket thrashing in Brisbane, controversy over what Jonny Bairstow did or did not do to Cameron Bancroft and the distractions created by Ben Stokes and his venture to New Zealand. And Joe Root has learned what it is like to be captain.

Joe Root looked relaxed in the nets on Thursday ahead of the second Test in Adelaide

The England captain is looking for his side to hit back this week after defeat in the first Test

The England captain is looking for his side to hit back this week after defeat in the first Test

‘I have been shown every side of the job very quickly,’ said Root here on Thursday as he contemplated a tumultuous start to this Ashes. 

‘I knew there would be things off the field but I didn’t think they would come around this quickly. So I should be pretty experienced already!

‘You’ve got to take things in your stride and make sure everyone realises the cricket is the most important thing because the last week, especially the Bairstow saga, is a smokescreen and an attempt at derailing us by Australia.’

The ‘will he, won’t he’ saga involving Stokes has not been helpful, either, but at least news that police have handed his case to the Crown Prosecution Service confirms that Root will not be seeing his erstwhile vice-captain any time soon. 

The odds are lengthening on him playing in the Ashes.

‘I tried not to get too excited about that,’ said Root when asked what he made of Stokes popping up at Heathrow en route to Christchurch. 

‘I know these things can take time, but fair play to Ben in that he’s doing everything he can to get himself in the best place to play again. 

‘The fact he’s gone there shows how much it means to him to play for England.’

Ben Stokes arrived in New Zealand this week as he prepares to play overseas for Canterbury 

Ben Stokes arrived in New Zealand this week as he prepares to play overseas for Canterbury 

Root admitted he was surprised to see the England all-rounder boarding a flight this week

Root admitted he was surprised to see the England all-rounder boarding a flight this week

Root, like virtually everyone in the England camp, was taken by surprise when images of Stokes — confirmed on Thursday as Canterbury’s overseas player — heading Down Under swamped social media on Monday.

‘I was wondering whether he was going on holiday carrying his England bag just to wind everyone up,’ said the captain. ‘Without the investigation being closed or moving forward, he won’t be able to play for England. 

‘So whether he’s here, in New Zealand or back home, the stance is the same. I would love to see him back but these things are out of our hands and we just have to move on.’

England will probably look to move on here with the same team beaten in Brisbane, as long as Moeen Ali proves in practice on Friday that the bad cut to his spinning finger suffered at the Gabba has healed sufficiently.

England will hope Moeen Ali takes full part in training on Friday after cutting his finger

England will hope Moeen Ali takes full part in training on Friday after cutting his finger

‘This (match) has come at a good time for us,’ said Root. ‘We played at this ground a couple of weeks ago and have a good idea of what it will be like.

‘As soon as the ball did anything sideways in Brisbane, we were massively in the game, and our focus as a bowling unit has to be ruthless and finding the skills that will get stuff out of the wicket when it is flat. If we do that I am full of confidence we will bowl them out cheaply in this series.’

Root’s meticulous and often unorthodox plans in the field, compiled with a lot of assistance from short-term bowling coach Shane Bond, gained success in Brisbane until they came up against Australia captain Steve Smith, whose world-class unbeaten 141 was the biggest difference between the teams.

‘I think they worked, to be honest,’ said Root in defence of his funky tactics. ‘Take Steve Smith’s innings out of it and they were 160 all out.

‘We tried different plans to him and none worked, but we made him work extremely hard for his runs and kept him very quiet by his standards.

Steve Smith's unbeaten 141 proved the catalyst for Australia's crushing 10-wicket victory

Steve Smith’s unbeaten 141 proved the catalyst for Australia’s crushing 10-wicket victory

‘By doing that it built pressure at the other end and we took wickets. Of course we will have another look and see if there are other things we can exploit in his game. 

‘But ultimately we know what we’ve been doing and the plans we have in place do work, so it’s just making sure we’re really good at executing them and that when we do get our opportunities we take them.’

This, then, is where Root’s first tour as captain could unravel. If fortune favours England and they are bowling at the right times, when twilight aids swing with the pink ball, they have every chance of getting back in this series.

Australia have this week been laughing at England and Bairstow in particular — in my view the only thing he did wrong was being out late so soon after the Stokes affair — but Root would dearly love to wipe the smiles off their faces and level this Ashes. 

Otherwise he is in for a long six weeks.



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