Root tells his hotchpotch England to bash Ireland… and lay down big Ashes marker – The Sun

ENGLAND captain Joe Root leads his hotchpotch team into battle today  believing they must lay down a marker for The Ashes.

Root wants his players to show “pride, passion and intensity” against Ireland at Lord’s and set the tone for their battles with Australia later this summer.

Even though England are  fielding a mixture of veterans, debutants, World Cup heroes and Ashes improbables — and there is no Ben Stokes or Jos Buttler — Root is expecting a demolition of the Irish.

The mental fatigue the likes of Root himself, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali will inevitably feel must be cast aside as England switch from white ball to full-on Ashes mode.

Root will not tolerate a World Cup hangover after the high of beating New Zealand.

He said: “The most important thing for me — and this message has been given to the squad — is to play with a huge amount of pride and passion and intensity.

“The intensity this week will set the tone for the rest of the summer.

“It will be difficult and there will be different challenges this summer from previous ones but there is a huge carrot at the end of it. We’re definitely looking to set the tone for The Ashes.

“We don’t want to sleepwalk into this. A Lord’s Test match is a good chance to set a precedent for the way we want to play for the rest of the summer.

“I don’t want anyone not being 100 per cent on it. It’s a great chance to lay a marker down and put a statement out there.”

ROOT THEM OUT

Root added: “We knew that, after such an emotional time in the World Cup, especially the final, it was important we got our heads around this week and what is to come.

“We addressed it very early at our pre-Ashes  camp last weekend and feel everyone is now aware of the challenges ahead.

“And you must also look at it in a different way — we couldn’t be better-placed. There’s a huge amount of confidence coming off the back of the World Cup.

“We must ride the wave and capitalise going into six huge Test matches.”

And England were last night encouraged that a team coached by Brad Haddin was bowled out for just 105 in the Aussies’ trial match against Graeme Hick’s side in Southampton.

David Warner scored just four as Michael Neser and Jackson Bird — two bowlers not expected to play in The Ashes — wreaked havoc.

England had people watching the game in Southampton and will report back with analysis of the Aussie batsmen’s flaws.

England’s most eye-catching debutant today is Jason Roy, who will become an Ashes sensation if he can take his one-day form into the Test arena.

Pace ace Olly Stone, who exceeds 90mph but is injury prone, makes his Test debut and Stuart Broad plays his 127th Test needing to show he is still the right man to take the new ball.

NO JOE-KING

Root wants Roy to show the same aggression that has destroyed attacks in 50-over cricket.

He said: “I want Jason to go out,  express himself and trust his instincts. He has very good instincts,  reads the game well and he’ll bring something different to our Test batting.

“He’s a very exciting prospect and a  proven performer  fully capable of making big contributions at the top of the order.

“I hope he doesn’t try to play differently. You’ve seen in small pockets in the World Cup that he was able to soak up pressure and trust his defence.

“It might be that he has to draw that out for longer in Test cricket but there are times when he can put pressure on the  opposition. He’s one of the best in the world at doing that.”

Somerset spinner Jack Leach plays his first home Test which means his county colleague Lewis Gregory misses out on a debut.

James Anderson still has not recovered from his calf strain.

The Irish Test is played over four days with 98 overs to be bowled  rather than the usual 90.

Meanwhile, Marcus Treschothick has been asked to help England’s batsmen handle the Aussie speed merchants ahead of The Ashes.

The former England batsman, 43,  who was a key figure in the epic Ashes triumph of 2005, will be at practice during the build-up to the first two  Tests.

He will assist as England’s top order prepare to take on the likes of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.

LIKELY LINE-UPS — ENGLAND: Burns, Roy, Denly, Root (capt), Bairstow (wkt), Moeen, Woakes, Curran, Leach, Broad, Stone.

IRELAND: Porterfield (capt), Stirling, Balbirnie,  McCollum, O’Brien, Wilson (wkt), McBrine, Young, Adair, Rankin, Murtagh.

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