We're ready for Aussie pace rampage: Root

Joe Root knows just how damaging a rampaging Australian pace attack can be having experienced first-hand the devastation wreaked on England by Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris during his maiden Ashes tour in 2013-14.

However, England's new Test captain has backed his players to cope with the current crop of Aussie speedsters during the upcoming Champions Trophy and then the Ashes at the end of the year.

Root has yet to take charge of England having been named as Alastair Cook's successor back in February.

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That opportunity will come in July when his team host South Africa in a four-match series, with three Tests against West Indies to follow before England head Down Under in late October to begin their Ashes campaign.

Root will hope his side can fare much better than the one that was whitewashed four years ago, with Johnson's 37 wickets at 13.97 and Harris' 22 at 19.31 inspiring Australia to their second 5-0 home Ashes win in six years.

It was also a series that saw Root dropped for the final Test in Sydney – a setback he has recovered from since by embarking on a spectacular run of form across all formats arguably only bettered by Steve Smith and Virat Kohli.

Before the next engagement in Ashes hostilities resume, though, England have the small issue of hosting a Champions Trophy that will see them come up against Australia in their final group match in Birmingham on June 10.

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Eoin Morgan's team are many people's favourites to win the tournament and land a first-ever global 50-over title for England.

Yet that final first-round match in Birmingham, against a side that could include a quartet of fast bowlers in Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazelwood and James Pattinson, will be a true examination of how far the hosts have really come in limited-overs cricket since they bombed out of the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand at the first hurdle.

However, Root is confident England can deal with Australia's quicks in the coming weeks and months.

"You're always asked when you go to Australia whether you can perform in hostile environments against high pace and every Australian side I have played against has had guys bowling over 90mph (145kph), so the guys who have been around international cricket for a while know what to expect, whether they have played against them in the IPL or Big Bash.

"Guys have been able to get used to it or experienced it. No-one is going in cold in terms of this Champions Trophy.

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"There will be questions asked against high pace but I like to think that the guys are looking to improve their games and are putting in the work now.

"As a player you naturally think long term and think what is the schedule in the next year or so.

"So you don't turn up to a tour and think, 'Right, what do I need to practise?'. You have done it six months ago or a year ago.

"As a side we are getting better at that all the time and when it does come round hopefully the lads are prepared for it."

England will have their own man who can bowl at 145kph during the Champions Trophy in Mark Wood, the Durham fast bowler who has been included in his country's squad having regained fitness and form following a third major ankle operation late last year.

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"He's obviously a very skilful bowler but that raw pace is obviously a huge weapon in limited-overs cricket," Root said of Wood.

"Up front if you can bowl as quickly as he can and move the ball laterally then he can get us off to a good start.

"We've seen when he's played that he can make a big impact and can wrest a game in your favour in the space of two or three overs.

"When you've got that in your side and squad it can only make it even better."

As for England's status as favourites for the Champions Trophy, Root says: "I don't think it really bothers this group of players. They're so confident and that's shown in the way they go out and perform and express themselves.

"They will dive into white-ball cricket now from having that attitude of having done some special things over the last couple of years.

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"I think we have to be respectful of all the sides we play against and we take no-one lightly.

"But at the same time we should be quietly confident of how we have done over the last couple of years and search to get even better."

England's form since the summer of 2015 has been a marked improvement on what went before. They are justifiably strong contenders for the Champions Trophy.

Finally landing a major 50-over tournament win would, in Root's eyes, make up for the years of failure England have experienced in one-day cricket, including defeats in three World Cup finals and two in the Champions Trophy, including the last one in England in 2013.

"It would be huge to win it," he said. "We've never done it before and we've come close on so many occasions but it would be very special to put things right on all those occasions when we haven't gone across the line."

Champions Trophy 2017 Guide

Squads: Every Champions Trophy squad named so far

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh.

Group B: India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan.

Schedule

Warm-up matches

26 May – Australia v Sri Lanka, The Oval

27 May – Bangladesh v Pakistan, Edgbaston

28 May – India v New Zealand, The Oval

29 May – Australia v Pakistan, Edgbaston

30 May – New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Edgbaston

30 May – Bangladesh vs India, The Oval

Tournament

1 June – England v Bangladesh, The Oval (Day)

2 June – Australia v New Zealand, Edgbaston (D)

3 June – Sri Lanka v South Africa, The Oval (D)

4 June – India v Pakistan, Edgbaston (D)

5 June – Australia v Bangladesh, The Oval (D/N)

6 June – England v New Zealand, Cardiff (D)

7 June – Pakistan v South Africa, Edgbaston (D/N)

8 June – India v Sri Lanka, The Oval (D)

9 June – New Zealand v Bangladesh, Cardiff (D)

10 June – England v Australia, Edgbaston (D)

11 June – India v South Africa, The Oval (D)

12 June – Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Cardiff (D)

14 June – First semi-final (A1 v B2), Cardiff (D)

15 June – Second semi-final (A2 v B1), Edgbaston (D)

18 June – Final, The Oval (D)

19 June – Reserve day (D)