England ready to go in Pakistan, says Joe Root
Tuesday 13 October 2015 06:27, UK
Batsman Joe Root insists England are ready for the challenge of taking on Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates despite playing only two warm-up matches.
The tourists have had little time to adjust to the extreme heat in Abu Dhabi before the first Test, which begins on Tuesday, with skipper Alastair Cook saying "four days of acclimatisation in the middle never seems quite enough".
All-rounder Ben Stokes is one player desperately short on match time. Since last playing for England in the one-day series against Australia, he has scored just six runs off 23 balls and failed to take a wicket in 20 overs.
But in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports commentator Mike Atherton that you can see in full during the lunch break on day one, between 9am and 9.40am, Root says he and his team-mates are ready to go.
"It's always hard to work out leading up to any series to try and work out exactly what you need to do; you never really know until you get going if you've done enough," he said.
"I think the thing with the squad of players that we've got [is] we're very mature when it comes to cricket; they know their own games pretty well.
"When you've got the conditions that we've got out here you've got to try to make the most of them whether it's in the game or in practice.
"We've had some brilliant surfaces out here in Dubai. Over the course of time that we've been here the lads have worked really hard. I feel like we're ready to go."
Make sure you tune in to our day one coverage to watch the interview in full when Root also talks about…
Live Test Cricket
- His disappointment on missing out on the one-day series with Australia - but how the break has left him refreshed and ready to go ahead of a long winter.
- How he's dealing with his on-going back problems to make sure he's as pain-free as possible on the pitch.
- How England are taking a mental attitude of playing aggressive cricket and taking the positive option when opportunities arrive.
- What he hopes to get out of this tour as he begins the next stage of his international development.
Watch England's first Test against Pakistan, in Abu Dhabi, live from 6.30am on Tuesday on Sky Sports 2. You can also watch without a contract on NOW TV.
