BBC Online :
Avoiding defeat in the first Test in Brisbane would “not define” the Ashes but would give England a “great opportunity”, says captain Joe Root.
The five-Test series starts today at the Gabba – where England last won in 1986, losing six times and drawing twice since.
“Avoiding defeat would be a brilliant start to the series, absolutely,” Root told BBC Sport.
“In many respects we’ve got nothing to lose coming here for this series.”
Root, who is captaining England in a third Ashes series, added: “I don’t think avoiding defeat will define the series but it’ll certainly put us in a really strong position and give us a great opportunity moving forward into the rest of it.
“But ultimately we’ve just got to concentrate on what’s right in front of us right now and starting the Test match well, getting into the series and managing everything else that goes around an Ashes first morning and taking the game from there.
“We’ve got a great chance in the circumstances that we find ourselves in to come and do something very special and we should take great confidence from that going into it.”
Australia, who only need a draw in the series to retain the Ashes, named their XI at a pre-series media launch on Sunday, but on Monday morning Root said: “I don’t feel comfortable revealing anything at this stage.”
England would normally have played two or three warm-up games before the first Test, but a 14-day quarantine and bad weather has limited their match practice to just over two days.
Despite that, Root confirmed that all-rounder Ben Stokes, who has not played any cricket since taking a break for his mental wellbeing in July, was available for selection.
“Ben will add a huge amount,” said Root. “I’m sure he’ll play a big part for us throughout the whole series.”
Root goes into the series having scored 1,333 runs in 2021, at an average of 66.12.
Those runs have taken his career average back above 50, but he has struggled to reach those heights on his previous two tours of Australia, averaging 38 in 17 innings.
The 30-year-old is aiming to improve on that in this series and become a part of the Ashes story.
“I’m an Ashes player and I want to live in the history of this great rivalry,” said Root. “That is a carrot there for everyone.”
Australia’s preparations have also been hampered, with rain affecting their intra-squad game and captain Tim Paine resigning less than three weeks before the first Test over a historical investigation into sexually explicit texts to a female colleague.
Pat Cummins has replaced him, and will become the first pace bowler to lead Australia since the 1950s.
Wicketkeeper Alex Carey will make his Test debut as Paine’s replacement, while Travis Head has edged out Usman Khawaja to bat at five and left-arm quick Mitchell Starc keeps his place despite calls for him to be dropped.
“We felt really blessed to have so many experienced options and guys that are coming off really strong performances in Shield cricket,” said Cummins.
