'Duo need Aussie win to seal status'

LORD Botham has told Ben Stokes and Joe Root they must find success in Australia to seal their status as all-time greats.

- By RORY DOLLARD

Lord Ian Botham and, inset, in action during the Ashes in 1985

Root is already the second highest run-scorer in Test history and Stokes is a double World Cup winner responsible for some of the most remarkable individual performances the country has seen.

But neither has tasted victory Down Under, with Root winless in 15 matches and his skipper having nothing to show from 10 attempts. With both men now 34, the next few weeks could be their final chance to fill a notable gap on their otherwise glittering CVs.

A two-day defeat in Perth was a huge anticlimax to a tour that has enjoyed a huge buildup and Botham, who won eight Tests and two Ashes series on Australian soil in his time as a swashbuckling all-rounder, is desperate to see the pair respond in Brisbane next week.