It is no surprise that when a touring England side will play Australia away from home, the spotlight will be on World No. 1 Test batter Joe Root, who has to carry the baggage of underperforming Down Under. Root, who is the second-highest run getter in Tests after the great Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar, is yet to score a century on Australian soil.
Root, who boasts a stellar record against Australia at home and has four tons to his name against Australia in England, would be the linchpin in England’s batting order, which plays an attacking brand of cricket. However, for Root, the second-highest run-getter in Tests, Australia remains an unconquered territory. In 14 Tests, he has yet to win a game; he has yet to register a three-figure score. But former England fast-bowler Steve Harmison has picked his side and shown a lot of faith in Root’s ability.
“People have been telling me for two years that Joe Root is coming over to Australia to average 50. He’s not. I think he’s coming over to average 150. I really do,’’ Harmison was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.
Root is well on track to break Tendulkar’s record for the highest runs in Test cricket and Harmison believes the 34-year-old’s exploits in the upcoming Ashes would take him a lot closer to the legendary Indian batter’s tally of 15,921 runs.
“The way he is playing. The mindset he is in. You can have your mortgage on Joe Root scoring at least one hundred. It would not surprise me if he went past what Cook did in 2010-11.’’
‘England to beat Australia 3-1’
Harmison also picked his winner, claiming England could beat this Australian side.
“I am backing England, maybe like 3-1 to come to Australia and sledge Australia and Joe Root to have the best series he has had for a long time. I am that confident England will win,” Harmison said.
Story continues below this ad
“Where Joe is at with his mentality and the fact that Cummins is out, I mean Joe is vulnerable the first 15 to 20 balls in Australian conditions, but after that he just keeps accumulating. England doesn’t fear Australia. I don’t think there’s a fear in the world anymore, the way the young players go,” he added.
