Ashes 2025-26: England superstar Joe Root says tour isn’t about him as he faces pressure for breakthrough ton

Amid enormous pressure to finally score a breakthrough Test century in Australia England’s great white hope of a nearly impossible Ashes boilover in Joe Root has deflected questions around his form down under. Root touched down in Perth alongside star teammates including Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell and Zak Crawley as well as assistant coach Tim Southee after arriving from Auckland where they completed a white ball series. A lot of England’s Ashes lay on the shoulder of the 34-year-old who is the No.1 ranked Test batter in the world, but has a dubious record on Australian soil. Root is considered one of if not the best England batter ever but has struggled in Australia having not scored a century in the country from 27 innings. He also averages only 35.68 on Australian decks, well below his career average of 51.29, with all four of his Ashes centuries coming in England. Asked about his lack of success in Australia, Root diverted the attention to the entire team. “I don’t think this tour’s about me, I think it’s about us as a team. It’s a very exciting tour to be involved in, I am looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s a great country to come and visit, so it should be a great few months and some great cricket played all round. “I’m sure it will be a great atmosphere. Two great sides playing some good cricket and hopefully that creates a great spectacle for everyone watching.” Root was England’s leading run scorer in their 4-0 loss to Australia in the 2021-22 series, scoring 322 runs at an average of 32.20 with only three half centuries. England have not won a Test in Australia since 2011 and head down under as serious underdogs as they hope their brash, bold and often reckless style of cricket dubbed “Bazball” tries to change their fortunes under coach Brendon McCullum. It comes as several teammates led by skipper Ben Stokes have already been in Perth for nearly a week ahead of the first Test at Optus Stadium which begins on November 21. Stokes was once again training at Lilac Hill on Sunday, batting twice as well as continuing to increase his bowling loads as he recovers from a serious shoulder injury he sustained earlier this year. The visitors have an inexperienced line up for Australian conditions, with Mark Wood the only front-line bowler to have previously played a Test in the country. Wood is also heading into the series with fitness concerns, having not played competitive cricket since February because of a serious knee injury. Meanwhile, their most destructive bowler in Jofra Archer is yet to train in Australia despite being in Perth for nearly a week. The fast bowler was given a week off as part of his preparations, despite having played only two Tests in the past four years because of a series of injuries.