English captain Joe Root has entered the test phase of a long summer and said his team will be inspired by his triumph at the 2019 Men’s Cricket World Championship.
With her first World Cup kitten title, England has a chance to turn this summer into an unforgettable home by also winning the upcoming ashes. Before that, they made a tricky effort against Ireland at Lord’s – the venue for England’s exciting World Cup final victory against New Zealand ten days ago – in a four-day test.
Root has asked his team “set the tone for the summer” by approaching the Lord’s game with pride, passion and intensity. “We could not be better off in many ways,” he said. “There is a lot of self-confidence (the World Cup victory).
“The most important thing for me, the message that has been in the squad, is to play with a tremendous amount of pride, passion and intensity, and this week’s intensity will set the tone for the rest of the summer.”
The game of the Lord will only be Ireland’s third game in the format, but England – the oldest testing nation besides Australia – knows there is no cause for complacency.
“We do not want to fall asleep here,” Root went on. “Every Lords start-up play-off is a great opportunity to set a precedent for the way we want to play the rest of the summer, I do not want anyone running on it and not being 100% on it.”
Like last summer’s summers, Jimmy Anderson is said to be the bowling unit cone that is able to generate seams and remove flawless lengths. The announcement that he would not play the Ireland test would have raised some concerns, but Root had a reassuring update.
“Jimmy would probably have been able to pass this friendly,” Root said. “We thought the last thing we want is that he wears a finger in a series, so we tried to use it sensibly and give him enough time to get 100% into this series.”
In Anderson’s absence, Olly Stone will make his debut with Lord, and Root is eager to see the Paceman, known for his ability to drive over 90 miles an hour, in action. “He has a good pace,” said Root. “That’s one thing he brings to this group – a bit more speed, something else to turn to, and it will be a great opportunity to see him play this week.”
