Joe Root warns England fans: 'Strap in' for Ashes round two at Lord's
Joe Root says fans should "strap in" as England look to double down on their aggressive approach and bounce back from defeat in the first Ashes Test.
For all the entertainment England provided across five days at Edgbaston, Australia's victory by two wickets has set the narrative against the hosts. An engaging style of play that produced 11 Test wins out of 13 before the five-match series has come under scrutiny with this high-profile bump in the road.
There have been calls for a less cavalier approach in the second Test at Lord's, which begins next Wednesday. Although England dictated terms for large swathes of the match, leaving Birmingham 1-0 down was evidence to some that "Bazball" either needs tinkering or abandoning altogether.
Dropped catches, a missed stumping and 23 no-balls drew heavy criticism, but the main ire was directed at the declaration on day one. Having won the toss and opted to bat first, Ben Stokes closed the first innings on 393 for eight in order to bowl four overs at Australia's opening pair of David Warner and Usman Khawaja on Friday evening.
That meant leaving Root unbeaten on 118, despite having struck two sixes in the final over of the innings, and ending a handy ninth-wicket stand of 43 with Ollie Robinson. Stokes explained the decision as an opportunity "to pounce on Australia" and confirmed he would make the decision again if a similar opportunity presented itself.
When asked if a change of style could have resulted in an England win, Root dismissed the notion out of hand, and stated the team were not going to change their manner for the second Test, or for the rest of the series.
"That's not what we're about as a team," Root said. "If I could go back in time, I'd go back and start my captaincy tenure the way Ben has and try to play in a similar manner to how he does it.
"It's far more exciting, far more interesting and I think we are getting more out of our team and our individuals. We're playing better cricket to watch, producing better results overall.
"If we are going to grow as a team, we can't just look at a day like this with a couple of moments going against us and say 'we need to do things differently'. If anything, we need to double down on how we do it, completely back ourselves and make sure we get those one-percenters right at Lord's."
Root's conviction on the matter is based on his recent experience against Australia. Prior to the 4-0 defeat in 2021-22, which led to his resignation as captain, the previous home campaign in 2019 was not as well-matched as the 2-2 scoreline made it seem.
Australia won the first match then, also at Edgbaston, by a far greater margin of 251 runs. Stokes' miracle at Headingley squared the series after a rain-affected draw at Lord's, before Tim Paine's side retained the urn with a dominant 185-run win in the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
England made it 2-2 with victory at the Kia Oval, though there was a sense that the tourists had taken their foot off the gas for the final match. Ultimately, Australia controlled the series when it mattered most.
While this opening defeat does sting, Root is encouraged by the fact England were able to boss Australia around at Edgbaston far more than they had managed across the entire series four years ago.
"The last time we played them here we were never really in the game after day two, we were chasing the game the whole time," he said. "This time we set the pace the whole way. We sent a strong message about how we want to go about things. I think that message was sent a long time ago. We fronted up.
"Zak [Crawley] hit the first ball of the game for four, everyone backed up what we've spoken about - all the hype and talk about 'can England do it this way against Australia?'. I think we've proven to everyone that we can.
"Everyone should strap in and expect the same from us. That's what we're about as a team."
It is also what Root is currently about is as a batter. After admitting to losing his equilibrium in the early months of Stokes' and Brendon McCullum's tenure, he's now scored five hundreds since relinquishing the captaincy, and 30 overall, and seems perfectly balanced once again.
He continued his form into his second innings at Edgbaston before being stumped off Nathan Lyon on 46. It was his first such dismissal in 131 Tests, which highlights the fact that it would not have come about in a previous era. Nevertheless, he now finds himself at the top of the ICC Test batting rankings, leap-frogging the Australian trio of Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Travis Head.
Root's reverse ramp-scoop was also given plenty of airing, providing three of the five sixes that he hit in the match. But it was one he missed, off the bowling of Australia's skipper Pat Cummins to the first ball of the morning on day four, which drew the most attention. England were 28 for 2 at the time, leading by just 35. To lose their best batter first ball would have been catastrophic.
Premeditated, no doubt. But Root explained the thinking behind the attempt, which he had mentioned to Stuart Broad in the changing room that morning before heading out to the middle.
"The first time I did it in the Test it was quite clear he [Cummins] was bowling wide, it didn't feel like there was a lot of risk in it.
"Coming out first ball of the day, it was more about being 28 for 2 and it was a chance to lay a marker down and say to everyone in the ground, the dressing room, the crowd, 'We are not here to be bowled at, we're here to push the game on'. I think that's how we all look at the game now, from any position we feel like we can get somewhere to go on and win."
Having helped set the game up with the bat, Root almost finished it with the ball. The splitting and subsequent blistering of Moeen Ali's right spinning finger meant Root bowled his part-time offspinners for 14 overs straight from the City End before England took the second new ball.
He successfully prised out wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey, taking a tough return catch after the left-hander smashed the ball back at the bowler. It was the third of three caught-and-bowled chances that came Root's way, as he had already put down two on that final day.
Discussions over possible cover for Moeen in the form of spinning allrounders Will Jacks, Liam Dawson and Rehan Ahmed will be held in the next 24 hours. Root's aptitude - 55 career dismissals at 46.29 - could allow England to pick four seamers at Lord's, both to bolster their pace attack with the inclusion of Mark Wood, and to mitigate for the fact that Stokes' share of the bowling is still limited by his knee issue.
Whatever the decision made, Root is keen to continue his dual role.
"It's always great when you get a chance to contribute to any Test match, you want to get involved and step up in those big moments.
"I'm just disappointed I didn't manage to cling on to a couple of those other ones. What a great spectacle it was, what great fun to have a chance to affect the game. That's what you want and I'm always ready for a chance to take Test wickets."