Joe Root will always have an asterisk against his name if he doesn't win in Australia: Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss believes Joe Root needs to lead England to victory in Australia or else there will always be an asterisk against the latter's name.
Joe Root has led England in two Ashes Down Under, losing 4-0 once and drawing the last series 2-2. Andrew Strauss was the last captain under whom England won the Ashes in Australia in 2010-11.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Strauss said Root needs to win a Test series in Australia to get the monkey off his back.
"England have won a hell of a lot of matches under Joe, and his win percentage is higher than anyone. Over the last 18 months, form-wise, England are probably the best team in the world. But if he doesn't manage to win in Australia, that will always be an asterisk against his name. It will be. He might have had success, but he didn't have success in Australia. He will have a point to prove in Australia this winter,'' Strauss said.
England are set to play five Test matches in Australia this winter, starting in November. Before that, Joe Root would be keen to book England's place in the ICC World Test Championship final, which will be played at Lord's in July.
Even Sir Alastair Cook would admit Joe Root is a better all-round player: Andrew Strauss
Joe Root is currently the third-highest run-getter for England in Tests. Sir Alastair Cook tops the chart with 12,472 runs. But Andrew Strauss believes the current England Test skipper will break Cook's record.
"Personally, I think he'll do it (going past Cook's runs). Even Alastair would admit Joe is a better all-round player than he was. Joe, I would argue, is the best all-round player I've ever seen for England. It's just a case of him staying healthy and he will surpass anyone else," Strauss added.
Joe Root is still 3965 runs behind Cook's tally. However, he is expected to become England's leading run-scorer in Tests, given his form and age. So far, Root has had a terrific 2021, scoring 228,186, and 218 in three consecutive away Tests.