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Unfazed by a daunting Gabba record, captain Joe Root doubted whether Australia would recover if England claimed a rare first Ashes Test win in Brisbane.
If Root was unsure of the enormity of England’s task in the first Test in Brisbane from Thursday, it was spelled out to him at the match eve press conference.
Australia have never lost a Test at the Gabba since 1988.
England have not won an Ashes Test in Brisbane since 1986.
Root digested the news, then chuckled.
“We’re due a win here, aren’t we?” he said.
Australia’s 29 year, 28 match unbeaten run at the Gabba is Test cricket’s longest active undefeated streak.
Root was not only undaunted by the record, he hoped to turn the tables.
And the England captain reckoned Australia would find it hard to bounce back if they went 1-0 down at their beloved Gabba.
“If we could go 1-0 up here, what a way it would be to start the series,” he said.
“It would really upset the applecart and give us a lot of momentum going into the rest of the series.
“Of course, we are aware of the history, but every series is different.
“We can’t play this game on what has happened in the past.
“We’ve got to make sure we read situations quickly out in the middle, play the surface and control our emotions.
“If we do that, we will give ourselves a really good chance.”
Meanwhile, Jake Ball has beaten Craig Overton to the final spot in England’s pace attack after overcoming a sprained ankle.
The batting line-up is set to be confirmed at Thursday’s toss with Moeen Ali or wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow in line to replace the absent Ben Stokes at No.6.
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