No room for complacency heading into match against Ireland, says Joe Root
English skipper Joe Root has stated that his side will go into their encounter against Ireland with 100% commitment, and will look to set the tone ahead of the first Ashes Test. England will be without the services of veteran pacer James Anderson, who sustained a calf injury ahead of the encounter.
There will be no respite for the English team post their World Cup triumph, as they will take on Ireland at the Lord's in a one-off Test on Wednesday. While the players would have preferred a longer break post the World Cup, the Three Lions have no option but to hit the reset button and start afresh once again as they aim to regain the Urn from the Aussies.
Skipper Joe Root believes that the World Cup victory has given a massive confidence boost to the team ahead of their red-ball encounters, and is confident that his men will play with pride, passion, and determination as they take on Ireland at Lord's.
"We couldn't be better placed in many ways. There's a huge amount of confidence off the back of the World Cup. That counts for a lot. It is something we have to capitalise on going into what is a huge six Test matches," Root was quoted as saying by BBC.
"We knew that after such an emotional final in particular, it was important to get our heads around what was to come," he added.
While Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes have been rested for the encounter, veteran pacer James Anderson has been ruled out with a calf injury, but skipper Root firmly believes that it is nothing but a precautionary measure and that Anderson would be fit and firing to go in the first Test of the Ashes.
"Jimmy probably would have been able to get through this game," Root told BBC Sport. "It was important we made sure he was absolutely ready and didn't go into a five-match series with any sort of niggle," he said.
It has also been confirmed that Jason Roy, who terrorized opposition bowlers in the World Cup, will be making his Test debut in the encounter. Root showered praise on the opener and urged him to stick to his natural approach, which has seen him take down bowling attacks around the world in limited-overs cricket.
"I want him to be himself out there. He's a very exciting prospect and a proven performer. He's fully capable of making big contributions at the top of the order.
"We've seen throughout the World Cup there were times when he was able to soak up pressure and trust his defence. It might be that he has to draw that out for longer in Test cricket. You also know there will be times he can put pressure back on the opposition and he is one of the best in the world at doing that," he said.
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