Root concentrating on being 'mentally focused'

England's all-time leading Test run-scorer Joe Root says he is concentrating on being "mentally focused" in his preparations for the Ashes.

Root said his approach is "different to how I would have done 10 years ago", with him no longer concentrating as much on adapting his technique for the Australian conditions.

Root is yet to score a century in Australia and averages 35.68 in 27 innings in the country.

"I've played against a lot of their guys, I know how they operate, I know what they're likely to try to bring to the series," said Root.

"I used to be very technical in how I prepared. I'd want to make sure that everything felt lined up and my feet were in the right place, my head position was correct. But I'm a lot more mentally focused."

The series begins in Perth on 21 November, with England looking to regain the Ashes for the first time since they won in Australia in 2015.

Root captained England on their last Test trip to Australia, where they suffered a crushing 4-0 loss, and stepped down from the role a few months later following defeat in the Caribbean.

"Now I'm a bit more concerned about how I'm looking at the game; how I'm going to approach different situations, whether that be the surface, whether that be different bowler types, different angles, being able to manage those different angles when they come wide of the crease, things like that," said 34-year-old Root.

"So it's just having a look at the likely make-up of their squad, the different threats that they may pose and then being clear on how I want to counter that."