As England prepare to clash with Australia in a must-win third Test match of the ongoing Ashes 2021-22 in Melbourne, skipper Joe Root is confident of scoring a hundred and expects his team to respond to the two successive defeats at the hands of Aussies.

Root, who made his Ashes debut in 2013, has never scored a Test hundred in Australia but has scored 89 in Brisbane and 62 in Adelaide in the ongoing series. So far, he and Dawid Malan are the only English players to make half-centuries and know they need to convert their good starts into big scores to give the team any hope of clawing back into the five-Test series.

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"I feel in a really good place with my batting. I feel confident I can, in these next three games, bang out a hundred in these conditions. I know that's a brave thing to say but my conversion rate this year, it's not been an issue at all. I expect a response from our players and I would like to bring a nice Christmas present home for everyone who stays up,” Joe Root told English media.

Root became just the fourth player in history — and first since 2008 — to plunder 1,600 Test runs in a calendar year during the Adelaide Test. England need to win in MCG to keep not only the Ashes series alive, but also their chances of winning the urn continue with a win.

"I'll always try to look at things with a level, pragmatic approach. But I don't think you could after the way we've played those last two games. I expect a response from everyone this week. I just hope it's not too late. There is plenty of motivation for the group and we are doing everything we can to make sure it is 2-1 by the time we leave here (Melbourne),” Root added.

(AFP inputs)