SQUARE ROOT OF GREATNESS

Botham: Joe and Ben need win in Oz. and England must adapt before I blooter TV

- BY RORY DOLLARD

IAN BOTHAM has told Ben Stokes and Joe Root they must grab Ashes success in Australia to seal their status as all-time greats.

Root is the second-highest run-scorer in Test history and Stokes is a double World Cup winner responsible for some of the team’s most remarkable individual performances.

But neither has tasted victory Down Under, with Root winless in 15 matches and his skipper having nothing to show from 10 attempts to beat the Aussies.

With both men now 34, the next few weeks could be their final chance to fill a notable gap on otherwise glittering CVs.

A two-day defeat in Perth in the first Test was a huge anticlimax at the start of a tour that has enjoyed a huge buildup.