England captain Joe Root has, on Monday (December 6), denied indulging in "mind games" and was tightlipped about the visitors' playing XI for the first Test of the upcoming Ashes 2021-22 against Australia, starting on December 8 (Wednesday) at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Australia captain Pat Cummins took the bold step of unveiling the playing XI three days before the first Ashes Test, but Root chose to keep his playing line-up under wraps.
The England captain has insisted that the tourists aren’t in a position to reveal their team at the moment and will finalize his playing XI after looking at the Gabba pitch on matchday on Wednesday.
Root told reporters on Monday, “I’m not into mind games. I’m just not in a position right now to name our team. The fact they’ve named their 11 doesn’t really concern me or change anything from our perspective. We’ll conduct our business how we want to and let you know when we’re ready.”
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He further said that he has not yet seen the Gabba pitch, so he couldn’t decide on whether he might bowl first if he wins the toss on Wednesday in the first Test of the five-match Test series.
The skipper added, “Pat’s already put a stamp on things as a fast bowler and captain of Australia. We’ll have a look and if it’s green, let’s see how it looks again tomorrow and on the morning of the game. I’ve not got any clear idea of what I want to do at the toss as yet. We’ll leave that as late as possible.”
He also opened up about the fitness of Ben Stokes, who took 2-31 and scored an unbeaten 42 in a warm-up game against the England Lions – his first significant outing since July 2021.
Root signed off by saying: “I think more than anything it will really be good to see Ben back involved in the frame of things. I think there will be an element of managing expectations and you’ve got to trust his experience. You always know that when he gets into that game he’ll want to put his mark on it and put his stamp on it.”
(With AP Inputs)
