Joe Root backs England XI to beat Australia, despite World Cup struggles
England star player Joe Root has confidently backed his England XI to beat Australia on Saturday, despite their struggles at the World Cup in India. England are currently at the bottom of the table and are effectively out after five defeats in six matches, while Australia are third after four wins in a row.
However, Root believes that England have the better team, man for man, and that they can turn things around against their rivals. Last time, these two sides came head-to-head, Australia defeated England 3-0 in almost 3 one-sided games.
“I’d have this team every day over the Australians,” Root said. “We might not have played as well as we can, but when we play our best stuff, the best teams struggle to compete with us.”
Coming to this World Cup, England were seen as the favourites to be the semi-finalists if not winning the title. Despite such build up, only disappointed unravelled as England went through through the early and middle phases of the World Cup. They were thrashed in their opening game by New Zealand, and have since lost to Afghanistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and India.
However, Root believes that Saturday’s match against Australia is a good opportunity for England to end the competition on a high and qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
“It’s a great opportunity to get back to what we expect of ourselves, the levels we put on ourselves, the levels that are expected externally as well,” Root said. “We’re a far better side than what we’ve shown.”
Australia will be without all-rounders Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell, but Root said that England would not be taking them lightly.
“They’re a very good side,” Root said. “They’re always competitive in World Cups, and they’ve got some world-class players. But we believe that we can beat them.”
Root also said that he felt that England’s players had let down captain Jos Buttler. “I feel this isn’t a reflection of his captaincy,” Root said. “He’s a brilliant leader, he’s got a great cricket mind on the field, and he’ll do a number of wonderful things as an England captain in the future.
“If it’s another motivator for us as a group of players, it’s to start performing to a level that is respectful to him as a captain.”
It remains to be seen whether England can turn things around against Australia, but Root’s backing of his team is a positive sign. If they can play to their potential, they will be a match for anyone.
