England relishing opportunity to defend title, says Joe Root

Joe Root

England cricketer Joe Root is backing his team's application of the valuable insights they gained during the 2019 experience as they aim to retain their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup championship next month in India. Root was part of the victorious England side that lifted their inaugural World Cup trophy at home four years ago, beating New Zealand in a thrilling final at Lord's.

The memories of a thrilling Super Over clash in the World Cup Final at Lord's in 2019 are still fresh in Root's mind, and the star right-hander is hoping he will be able to emulate that victory in India in November and become just the third team after West Indies (1975, 1979) and Australia (1999, 2003, 2007) to claim back-to-back titles.

"Having the experience of 2019 and how good that was and how much that meant to the group and for them to go out and get the opportunity to defend it is something we are relishing and really looking forward to," Root was quoted by ICC Website. "We are going to have to play some really good cricket, we are going to have to adapt to different conditions and have that consistency that you need so we will see how we go," he added.

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England unveiled their preliminary squad for the six-week tournament with the defending champions sprung some surprises in their initial group selection, opting to exclude young batter Harry Brook while including uncapped pacer Gus Atkinson. Root has confidence in the squad chosen to get the job done for England during the World Cup and knows his team must play their best cricket at the pointy end of the tournament.

"It is very exciting to play in a World Cup event is something that you always look forward to as a player," Root said. "Big tournaments and big moments is where you want to go out and perform and impress and deliver for your country. "You have to get to those last two games - the semi-final and the final - and it is about turning up and putting in the performance when it really counts." England will open its World Cup 2023 campaign against New Zealand on October 5.

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