"Opportunities for players to do wonderful things and create unbelievable memories" - Joe Root ahead of Ashes and 2023 ODI World Cup

Ace England batter Joe Root believes the upcoming Ashes and ODI World Cup could be career-defining moments for several English players. Root observed that it feels similar to 2019 when the Ashes and the ODI World Cup were held in the same year.

While England are the defending champions of the 50-over World Cup, they haven't held the Ashes since 2015. However, Ben Stokes and Co. will hope to regain the urn this summer, given their form over the past 12-18 months.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Root sensed a great opportunity for England to defend their ODI World Cup title as well as regain the Ashes urn. He explained:

"You look at 2019 and how incredible that was with a World Cup and an Ashes and obviously it's not a World Cup in England, but it has a similar feel to it. There are so many opportunities for players to do wonderful things and create unbelievable memories."

Root further said England couldn't be more excited for the Ashes and reckons nothing is impossible for the current crop of players. He elaborated:

"They are the things that you play for, to be a part of some special memories and cool experiences and they certainly all lay ahead for us. We know an Ashes series is always different, there are always so many more things to contend with but as a group we are so excited to meet them head-on. You feel like the sky is the limit for the group. As Ben says, walk towards the danger."

Since Brendon McCullum and Stokes took over England's Test team as coach and captain, respectively, they have lost only two out of their last 12 matches. The 2022 summer also saw England register their highest successful run chase in Tests, gunning down 378 against India.

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"Been a really cool learning experience" - Joe Root on IPL

Joe Root. (Image Credits: Getty)

While Root admitted that county cricket offers a lot to a player, he observed how great it has been to be a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The right-handed batter said:

"I could play six county games, but would I learn a lot about myself from a selfish point of view? This is the best place for me to be ahead of what is an incredibly exciting nine months for English cricket.

"It's been a really cool learning experience in that regard, obviously I've played a lot of cricket against my team-mates internationally so it's been good to get to know them on a personal level. I've had the chance to get some good gym work done and to make sure I feel fresh and ready to go and constantly looking to improve."

With the 129-Test veteran relinquishing his captaincy duties last year, Root thinks there's a lot to explore, stating:

"When I was England captain, I didn't feel it was fair on the rest of the team for me to go and play in the league with the amount of cricket that there was and the schedule as it was, given what the [Test captaincy] role needed and what it deserved. Now I feel like there are more opportunities to do that without the responsibility and I'm just trying to look to keep developing as a player."

The Englishman was bought by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for his base price of 1 crore but is yet to play a game in IPL 2023.