Joe Root confident that England can do "something special" despite the interrupted ashes build-up

Confident that England can do "something special" in the ashes, Joe Root said they won't be distracted by the upheaval in the Australian camp, despite Tuesday's rain ruining their preparations again, next week at the Gabba - Grounds in Brisbane begins, has been destroyed by bad weather.

A three-day training game washed out last week, bar 29 overs, and the opening day of their final four-day hit-out on Tuesday was also rainy, with more rain showers. "It was unusual, it was different from many previous tours," said Skipper Root.

"The guys really took the opportunity to get the most out of what they had and that is all you can really do in these situations along with mentally making sure you are as ready as possible."  Openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed, along with spinner Dom Bess, are the only members of the Ashes party who have had match practice since the tour began.

Players who played at the recent Twenty20 World Cup - including Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan and Chris Woakes - didn't join the roster until Tuesday after 14 days of quarantine, hoping to see some redball action .

Despite the setbacks and the fact that England lost nine of their last 10 Tests in Australia, Root said his side had a chance to outdo each other this time around. “If we can control our emotions, live up to our abilities and be smart in situations and do things differently than before, then, in my opinion, we have a great chance to do something special here. " he said.

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Australia similarly go into their first Test on December 8th due to a lack of match practice. They were also shaken by the shocking resignation of Tim Paine as captain, with Pat Cummins taking over the helm. "From our point of view, it doesn't change anything, it doesn't change how we prepare, that we respect them as a team and what they will bring to this series," said Root of the Australian upheaval.

“Above all, I don't want us as a team to be distracted by the events in your camp. It's really important that we focus on ourselves and prepare as best we can. “When I play Pat, I know what kind of competitor he is and what he brings to your team. I expect him to do the same as captain, "he added.