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In the midst of England‘s dismal campaign in the ICC Cricket ODI World Cup 2023, senior batter Joe Root has shared his sentiments and determination to turn the tide for the defending champions ahead of their high-stakes clash against Australia on Saturday, November 4.
England’s struggles and Australia’s ascendancy
As the tournament unfolds, England finds itself at the bottom of the CWC 2023 points table, securing just two points from six matches. In stark contrast, their arch-rivals, Australia, stand in third place with a remarkable streak of four successive wins. The stark contrast in their performances has left England fans and experts alike baffled.
Joe Root breaks down why England excels over Australia
However, Root remained optimistic and unyielding in his belief that his team, man to man, are superior to Australia. He further expressed the disappointment that has engulfed the England squad due to their failure to secure a top position in the tournament.
“I look at this team and it’s more than capable of achieving way more than it has done throughout this tournament. The quality of players we have, we should be sat right at the top of this [table]. We all know that, and we’re all very frustrated that isn’t the case,” Root was quoted as saying by India Today.
“This group of players has three opportunities to play at the level we expect of ourselves: I fully believe we are more than capable of doing that on Saturday. Man for man, I’d have this team every day over the Australians. We might not have played as well as we can do but we know when we play our best stuff, the best teams struggle to compete with us,” the 32-year-old added.
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Root has conveyed that the upcoming clash against their Ashes rivals in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium is being regarded in team as “their World Cup final.”
“We have to remember that and take that into the next couple of days: both in physical practice and mentally, [we have to] make sure we’re in that frame of mind to take on Australia, which is what it’s about for us now. We’ve just got to look at Saturday as our World Cup final and play in the manner that’s expected of us and we expect of ourselves,” the Dore-born cricketer concluded.
