Wednesday 8 July 2015 10:32, UK
In his first exclusive column for Sky Sports, Joe Root discusses the immensity of the Ashes, sledging and David Warner.
The ‘goose-bump moments’ in the Ashes are like nothing else.
I’ll never forget receiving my winners’ medal and seeing Alastair Cook lift the urn in 2013 – or my hundred at Lord’s and dismissing Michael Clarke!
I hope the crowds this summer are as exceptional as they were that year; the atmosphere on the fifth day at Trent Bridge was unbelievable.
Australia were 291-9 at lunch needing 311 to win. When we came back out the ground was rammed.
I remember fielding on the boundary in front of the new stand and the noise was amazing. Here was a moment to do something really special for English cricket and we did. Hopefully there’ll be occasions just like that throughout this series.
Coming off the back of that phenomenal ODI series against New Zealand, everything is set up beautifully.
Prepare
This is my third Ashes and, without doubt, the biggest series of my career so far.
Every time I take the field I want to feel like I’m making strides forward so nothing would give me greater satisfaction than winning back the urn and knowing I performed against one of the best teams in the world.
The beauty of international cricket is that however well you’ve done in the past you’re always going to be judged on your latest performance.
Once the Test starts on Wednesday what’s gone before is irrelevant – it’s all about the next five days.
I’ll do everything I can to prepare well and then go out there and enjoy the occasion, soaking it all in.
One of the reasons I’ve been quite successful in the last few years is because I’ve tried to simplify everything I do, stripping my game down to the bare basics and really trying to improve those and make them the best they can possibly be.
I didn’t have a clue what to expect ahead of my first Ashes and that helped me; all I did was work hard on my game and kept things relatively simple. I didn’t think about how they were going to get me out or whether I needed to get forward more.
That’s one bit of advice I’ve passed on to the guys who haven’t played before; I realise now that in 2013/14 I was looking too deeply into what I was doing instead of just playing the ball, relying on my natural reactions and ability.
Before that series I hadn’t lost a Test playing for England so it was quite difficult to get my head around! It would be silly for this group of players to look too much into that series, though, because there are a lot of new faces in the squad and Trevor Bayliss is now on board.
He’s exactly as Farby described him to us - very quiet and knowledgeable on the game; he doesn’t talk for talking’s sake so you know that when he does say something it’s worth listening to. I’m really looking forward to working with him over the summer and beyond.
Sledging
I’m not sure how verbal Australia will be on the field – whether they’ll come out all guns blazing or target one or two players. Time will tell and we’ll handle it when we have to.
Sledging is really quite irrelevant, to be honest; Australia have been associated with it for as long as I can remember and if that’s how they want to go about their business, I’ve not got a problem.
You’ve just got to make sure you’ve got something in place to combat it and make sure it doesn’t affect the way that you play.
I don’t really class myself as a gag-a-minute person so I try to leave the funnies to the funny people. I’d rather concentrate on making sure I’m in a good, relaxed space personally.
I’m all for a bit of banter so long as it adds to the rivalry but some things that are well in the past should be left there.
I’ve been asked countless times over the years about David Warner and that incident in a Birmingham nightclub – something that was blown slightly out of proportion.
So, as I said on Twitter, it was disappointing for it to resurface over the weekend and for my character to be questioned.
Those who know me realise how ridiculous Warner's excuse for hitting me sounds. It’s definitely time to move on!
Pressure
One of the most challenging things about international sport is you always feel like you are in a high-pressure environment, so it’s very important to get away from cricket when you can, so our trip to Spain was perfectly timed.
We worked hard when we had stuff on – we did quite a few fitness and fielding sessions, which were really good and challenging – but we also managed to enjoy some of the other perks of being out in Spain.
Ben Stokes, our fielding coach Chris Taylor and I got dressed up to host a team quiz and I reckon I scrub up pretty well as a matador…
There was a fantastic golf course at the resort and I managed to play a couple of rounds although I lost on both occasions so I didn’t get my Jimenez celebration out much!
Adam Lyth’s handicap definitely needs looking into – he finished three over off eight on a course he’d never played before with hire clubs, although to be fair he played exceptionally well.
Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad beat me as well – they also played above their handicaps so I think whoever takes on the role of social secretary will have to look into that at some point this summer…
Watch The Ashes live on Sky Sports, starting at 10am on Sky Sports Ashes on Wednesday. You can watch day one with a free NOW TV Sports Day Pass, while our Ashes Events Centre - the best of Sky Cricket's analysis at your fingertips - is available on our iPad app.