‘It’s going to be nice to just go and play the game’ – Joe Root expresses excitement ahead of Ashes 2023

Joe Root Ben Stokes in discussion. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

England are all set to host the Ashes 2023 from June 16 to July 31. The five-match series will be played at five different venues in England – Edgbaston, Lord’s, Headingley, Old Trafford, and The Oval. The Pat Cummins-led side are the defending champions of the Ashes, having won the previous series 4-0.

Ahead of the five-match series, England’s top-order batter Joe Root indicated that he is ready to play against arch-rivals Australia and will try and assist skipper Ben Stokes and the other teammates. The 32-year-old also said that he will play a quite different senior role in the team in the upcoming series. 

“It’s going to be nice to just go and play the game and try and assist where I can for Ben and for the other guys around. Play a slightly different senior role in the team,” Root said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

He went on to say that big series are the ones you want to stand up and perform well in, and the Ashes are just another opportunity to do so.

“They’re always great fun to be a part of – these big games, big series. They’re the ones you want to stand up and play well and it’s just an opportunity to do that again,” he added.

Root received the Compton-Miller Medal as the Player of the Series, the last time England won the Ashes (2015). The 32-year-old scored 460 runs at an average of 57.50 and helped England to win the urn and it was arguably the most productive of his six Ashes to date. Notably, it was the last time the star batter faced Australia without the responsibilities of a captain, and it was also the last time he struck one of his three Test hundreds against the Kangaroos.

The Ben Stokes-led side is coming off a 10-wicket win over Ireland in the one-off Test at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. Root played a significant role for England, scoring 56 off 59 deliveries in the first innings at a strike rate of 94.92. Australia, on the other hand, will take on Rohit Sharma-led India in the 2023 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final starting on June 7 at The Oval in London.