Joe Root has dismissed David Warner’s mind games, calling the former Australian opener’s recent criticism “all part of the fun” ahead of this winter’s Ashes tour.
Warner recently said of Root, who this summer became Test cricket’s second-highest run-scorer but is yet to score a hundred in Australia: “Josh Hazlewood tends to have his number quite a lot. He will have to take the surfboard off his front leg.”
Warner retired from international cricket last year but will do battle against Root like old times when his London Spirit face Root’s Trent Rockets at Lord’s on Thursday – live on Sky Sports Cricket from 6pm (play starts 6.30pm).
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Root was clean bowled by England bowling coach Tim Southee during The Hundred!
Asked on a media call if he had laughed off the jibe, Root said: “Just that. I can’t have any control on how people see the game or talk in an interview.
“Nothing new, is it? You know there are going to be storylines and people wanting to hype up a big series. Doesn’t really change anything.
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Stuart Broad backed Root to perform in Australia, stating he will be in the best place than ever before
“It’s sort of irrelevant to me. What can I do about it? Just make sure it’s not a talking point in six months or 100 days’ time.
“When you get out there you’ve got to try and impact the game and help your team get off to a good start. Business as usual as far as I’m concerned.
“I guess it’s all part of the fun. We’ll see what happens out there [with Warner at Lord’s]. It’s not really in my nature to get too verbal.”
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Root hit 120 runs on day three of the fourth Test against India to become the second-highest Test run-scorer
Root’s insatiable appetite for scoring runs is showing no sign of slowing down – 22 hundreds scored in his last 61 Tests -with only only Indian great Sachin Tendulkar and his 13,543 Test runs ahead of him among the all-time batting greats.
Root is currently 2,378 runs behind in second, though the former England captain admitted that addressing his poor record in Australia is a priority of his.
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Root scored his 39th Test century, moving above Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara for the number of hundreds in the longest format
“The thing that stands out for me is I wanted it way too much the last couple of times,” Root said, ahead of his fourth Ashes tour Down Under. “It took me away from what was important.
“Clearly the last few tours there have been loads of other things to contend with, a lot of distractions.
“This time I just want to go and enjoy the tour for what it is. It’s a beautiful country, great place to go and play cricket.
“It’s going to be hostile, everything you’d expect and want from an away Ashes series. That’s something you’ve got to relish.
“Going there with 150-odd Test matches under my belt, I feel couldn’t be more ready for it.”
Currently though Root is fully throwing himself into The Hundred, in which the Rockets have picked up two wins in two to start the men’s tournament, while the Spirit have one win in three.
Joe Root and David Warner square off in The Hundred on Thursday as Root’s Trent Rockets face Warner’s London Spirit at Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 6pm (play starts 6.30pm).
