Joe Root: Ashes victory ‘sweeter’ if Smith, Warner play

England Test skipper Joe Root is hoping Australia’s selectors rush Steve Smith and David Warner back in for next year’s World Cup and Ashes series once their suspensions end.

England Test skipper Joe Root is hoping Australia’s selectors rush Steve Smith and David Warner back in for next year’s World Cup and Ashes series once their suspensions end, saying their presence will make it all the more “sweeter” if the English win.

And Root, who is playing for Sydney Thunder in this season’s Big Bash League, has fired an early warning to Smith and Warner about the hostile reception they can expect if they do make the trip to England.

“Whenever we play against Australia and you’ve got guys like that around, it’s when you have success against them it makes it that little bit sweeter,” Root told The Daily Telegraph.

Root has warned David Warner and Steve Smith to expect abuse from England fans. Picture: AFP

“We’ll have to wait and see once they turn up in England whether they are selected or they come straight back in.

“But one thing's for sure, the English public will have a few things to say on it over the course of the summer, rightly or wrongly.”

Root isn’t buying into the idea that the fallout from the ball-tampering bans will have a long-term detrimental impact on Australian cricket.

While the Test side is currently struggling, Root’s biggest fear is that Australia will emerge stronger than ever the three suspended players return because of the experience other players have been given while they’ve been banished.

“You're always going to struggle when you lose two very experienced players that are not just at the top of the game in Australian cricket but also in world cricket,” Root said.

“Of course that leaves a big hole, but one thing that it does do, is that it gives opportunities to other guys to come and show what they can do at that level which in time might add to the depth of Australian cricket, so there’ a number if ways of looking at it.”

Warner and Root have a bit of fun.

England have never won the men’s one-day World Cup but are the early favourites to end their drought on home soil next year after claiming the No. 1 ranking while Australia have slumped to sixth after winning the last tournament in 2015.

England strike bowler Jimmy Anderson is so confident his team will win the World Cup that he has declared the only thing that will stop them is if they “screw up”.

Root isn’t quite so cocky but he still does believe England can win it.

Joe Root will pad up for the Thunder in the BBL. Picture: Jenny Evans

“We’ve played some really good cricket over the last couple of years,” he said. “Obviously the big challenge for us now is to maintain that and handle the pressure that comes with it.

“If we can continue to keep playing the way that we are then we’ll give ourselves a really good chance but in knockout cricket you can never be certain about how things are going to fall into place because one run out or one amazing catch can change the course of a tournament.

“So it’s easy to say we’re the favourites and going into it with huge amounts of confidence, which we will definitely do, but we’re also going to have to play extremely well to beat some fantastic sides along the way if we are to be world champions.”

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Originally published as Joe Root: Ashes victory ‘sweeter’ if Smith, Warner play