England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick has hailed right-hand batter Joe Root’s recent form, saying the former skipper appears to be in complete control of his game and has elevated his batting to another level ahead of the Ashes 2025 series against Australia.
Root arrives in Australia with a healthy advantage at the top of the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings, though the veteran has had his struggles in the past coping with the strong Aussie bowling attack away from home, according to ICC.
The 34-year-old has never played in an away Test victory against Australia and is yet to score a century Down Under from 14 previous matches across the last three Ashes series despite the fact he has reached triple figures a total of 39 times over his glittering career.
Trescothick pointed at Root’s resurgence under the watchful eye of brash coach Brendon McCullum and expects to see the right-hander break his century drought during the upcoming Ashes series that commences in Perth on November 21 and is part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle.
“The way he’s gone in the last couple of years will probably explain he’s comfortable with what he’s trying to do, how he’s playing his game. His game has gone to the next level and hence the reason where he is in the rankings. You would be very surprised if he doesn’t carry on in that same sort of vein with the style of play and the type of player he is,” Trescothick said as quoted by ICC.
England will play just one warm-up fixture prior to the first Test in Perth, with the side scheduled to take on the England Lions in a three-day match in Perth from Thursday. Root will get every chance to show his wares during the warm-up contest, with Trescothick confirming every member of England’s Ashes squad will feature in one of the two sides across the three days of the fixture at the picturesque Lilac Hill venue.
The former England opener also suggested performances during the warm-up match are unlikely to alter England’s plans for the first Test against the Aussies.
“I guess everyone has an opportunity to stake their claim. As I mentioned, how consistent we’ve been with our team selection, it’s been very level. Bar the odd injury, we’ve not really chopped and changed a great deal. It’s definitely not going to change dramatically before the start of an Ashes series because someone puts their hand up by taking five wickets or gets 150. The team has been what it has been for a period of time for a reason, so that when you come to big series, you are more settled and confident going into it,” he said.
Australia’s squad (first Test only): Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
England’s squad: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood
Series schedule:
First Test: Perth Stadium, November 21-25.
Second Test: Gabba, December 4-8.
Third Test: Adelaide Oval, December 17-21.
Fourth Test: MCG, December 26-30.
Fifth Test: SCG, January 4-8.
