Australia’s pacer Scott Boland has stressed that Joe Root remains the focal point of England’s batting order, despite the former captain’s century drought in Australia. Root, with over 13,000 runs in Test cricket, is widely hailed as one of the sport’s finest, with only Sachin Tendulkar ahead of him in the record books.

Although Root boasts impressive career statistics, he has been criticised by the Australian media, with one of the news outlets referring to him as “Average Joe” for his inability to score a century in 14 Ashes Tests on Australian soil.

Boland, who is set to play in place of the injured Pat Cummins in Perth, remarked, “The aim is always to target the best players.

“England have several strong batters, but our aim will be to keep Joe Root and the middle order under pressure.”

Joe Root’s form post-2021-22 Ashes has been nothing short of brilliant, with 16 centuries and an average of 57.14.

Boland noted that England’s attacking style of batting may not be as effective on Australian grounds, where the boundary dimensions are significantly bigger than England.

“I’m confident it will benefit us. Shots that would easily clear the boundary in England have a much longer distance to travel at venues like this, the MCG, and the Gabba,” he mentioned.

“It will benefit their bowlers as well, because when they bowl short, you need to clear 85 metres instead of just 65. That’s a significant difference.”