Root confident England can end Ashes drought, Cummins likely to miss opener

Joe Root insists England can end their IO-year long Ashes drought as they bid to finally "bring the urn home" from their tour to Australia later this year.

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England have not won the Ashes since 2015 and their last Test series triumph in Australia came back in 2010-11.

England were held to a 2-2 draw by Australia on home turf in the most recent series in 2023, while their last three trips Down Under have ended in 4-0, 4-0 and 5-0 thrashings.

But despite their struggles in Australia, Root is convinced Ben Stokes' side are set to shine against their arch rivals.

"It does feel like a long time and it'd be nice to put that right and bring the urn home. I just see it as a great opportunity for the group," Root said.

"There's no other way to look at it, really. It's a beautiful country, it's a great place to go and play cricket.

"Just soak it all in and expect a little bit of 'abuse' or 'banter'. It could be six weeks that live long in the memory if we get it right."

Root is yet to win a single match in Australia in 14 attempts and, despite boasting 39 career hundreds, is still waiting to notch his first in the country.