Veteran England batter Joe Root said that his side shouldn’t have travelled to Australia for the 2021-22 Ashes series amid the COVID-19 pandemic as well. However, he remains optimistic that England will do well Down Under next year as well, considering they know what they need to do to succeed as well.

However, England had a rather forgettable Ashes tour from late 2021 through to early 2022, losing the five-match series 4-0 as well. With the threat of COVID-19 also looming, not only did Aussie players get affected but also the England contingent, including coach Chris Silverwood who had to remain in isolation as well.

Speaking to the reporters on Saturday, Root said as quoted by BBC Sport, “Thinking of Covid, it was about keeping the lights on last time we went. Arguably, we shouldn’t have gone last time, should we in retrospect? We’ll be in a completely different place going into next time.”You can plan and you can have all the best intentions of getting a result but it still has to fall into place. You need all your bowlers fit and firing, and the guys in good form scoring runs, so that’s what we’ve got to build towards over the next couple of years.”

He also had led England in their last two Ashes tours but lost both series 4-0. He only managed a draw when the series took place on English soil in 2019 as well. With record-breaking pace bowler James Anderson retiring from international cricket, Root said that it would feel weird without him and Stuart Broad moving forward.

He claimed, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo: “For me, all I’ve ever known for England is playing alongside Jimmy and that’s been for 12 years. It’s a bit of a weird one, seeing Stuart [Broad] go last year and [now] Jimmy.”I’ll terribly miss playing alongside him but the fact that he’ll be around for the summer will be great for the young bowlers coming through and for us to keep using that experience and everything else he has to offer the dressing room.”