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Paine's attempt at channelling Winston Churchill

Australia captain Tim Paine knows what's at stake over the next seven weeks as cricket's grandest rivalry takes place during the Ashes

Australia march into the five-Test Ashes battle armed with a slogan purportedly brandished by Britain's former wartime Prime Minister, Winston Churchill – 'Behaviour Doesn't Lie'.

Still basking in the euphoria of a nation-rallying campaign the like of which their patriotic cricket fans have never previously experienced, England will point to their own more contemporary mantra – 'World Champions'.

While the fate of the tiny terracotta urn that symbolises one of the longest running and most keenly fought sporting rivalries on the planet won't be decided by a glorified GIF, the choice of inspirational words says much about the respective foes.

Australia's push to seize a generational opportunity and win their first Ashes series on British turf since 2001 comes against the backdrop of a humbling recent past.

England continue to float on a cloud of goodwill since lifting their first World Cup trophy in barely believable circumstances earlier this month, and are eying the chance to crown the perfect cricket summer by defeating their oldest foe.

Where there's commonality is the sense of expectation that accompanies the start of every Ashes contest, and while they might have arrived at today's starting point via very different journeys, the opposing captains unabashedly share that excitement.

Australia captain Tim Paine believes his team, bolstered by the return of its former leaders and a complement of fast bowlers the envy of any international skipper, is in no doubt as to the dividend an Ashes win would deliver.

"It means a helluva lot," Paine said on match eve when asked about the significance of what's at stake over the next seven weeks.

"Every time you play a Test against England, it's a real honour to be out there and representing your country and there's no doubt the history of the Ashes takes that to another level.

"We've got a huge opportunity to come to England and do something that even some of our great teams haven't managed to do in the last 20 years, and we've got some self-belief that we can do it."

England name Test XI, Aussies stay tight-lipped on Ashes eve

For Root, the exhilaration of being part of the England group that finally secured a World Cup after eleven fruitless attempts and three losing finals, is tempered by the sobering prospect of being the first England captain to surrender the Ashes at home since Nasser Hussain.

When it was suggested to him that losing to Australia in the Test series might not represent such a letdown given the lingering feelgood effect of the World Cup win, Root reassured the questioner he could not be more wrong.

"If you speak to any England captain who's on the verge of an Ashes series, and to say that it's just another event, I don't think any of them would agree," said Root, who admitted he had dreamed about being an Ashes winning skipper since boyhood.

"It's huge.

"Cricket in this country is at an all-time high, it's got interest that it's not had for a long time and we've got an opportunity, as a team, to make this summer a very memorable one.

"To have that carrot in front of us is a great motivator for the whole squad.

"But ultimately it comes down to how we go about that, how we're going to break down Australia and how we're going to win enough games to win the series."

Root explains England's Ashes selections

Where Root believes the World Cup win might deliver England a tangible benefit during the Ashes campaign is in the experiences those six members of the ODI team who are also in the first Test XI gleaned from the extraordinary final at Lord's.

In particular, Root cited his recently reinstated Test vice-captain Ben Stokes and the man who had previously served as his deputy, Jos Buttler, who dragged England back into the game against New Zealand with a calm, calculated batting partnership.

It's such clarity of thinking and of purpose that Root predicts will be required in the heat of Ashes competition, and which he knows from first-hand experience his key players now possess.

"If you look back at that final and everything it threw at the group that played in it, those are experiences that you can hold with you forever," Root said.

"Ones that you can look back on fondly in years to come.

"But when it comes to actually playing, having been in those situations, someone like Jos and Ben who spent a long period out there under pressure, it must make you think differently.

"It will be interesting to see that unfold throughout this series but it can only be a positive.

"To have two senior players perform for a long period of time under the biggest pressure in the white-ball format, they've now got a chance to take that into the red-ball stuff and into this series."

Where do the Aussie players keep their Baggy Green?

The galvanising experience that Paine and his men carry into the five-Test series was forged from far more traumatic circumstances, but looms as equally transformative.

Since taking over the Test captaincy from Steve Smith in the immediate aftermath of the Cape Town Test against South Africa 18 months ago, Paine has fielded questions about his team's behaviour and culture on an almost daily basis.

It was when that topic was raised again on match eve that he revealed the quote he, and the touring party, hope might persuade onlookers to form their own assessments regarding on-field behaviour rather than seek a running report card from the captain.

"I've spoken a lot about this in the last 12 months," Paine said when asked again on Wednesday.

"We're going to play competitive Test match cricket like every other nation does.

"Our guys understand what's expected of them, we're role models not just for Australian people but for people all around the world.

"There's been a quote going around our changerooms this week, from Winston Churchill, and that's "behaviour doesn't lie".

"(Bupa Support Team fielding coach) Brad Haddin actually brought it up with me the other day, it was in one of our chats that we had.

"I quite like it, and we've raised that with our own team.

"We've spoken internally about our behaviour and the way we want to be seen.

"It's a great quote for us and a great quote for you guys (media) because instead of me having to come into every press conference in the last 12 months and talk about our behaviour, you can just watch us and judge for yourself."

 

A quick internet search subsequently revealed the quote in question could not be definitively proved to have emanated from Churchill, in much the same way that every quasi-insightful tagline crafted by an advertising executive is invariably attributed to Oscar Wilde, Albert Einstein or Dorothy Parker.

But whether it's the creed by which Paine's team publicly chooses to live, or the appellations already appended to Root and others after their one day of glory at Lord's, no word or phrase will decide the outcome of cricket's grandest rivalry.

That will be decided, quite rightly, on the pitch from 11am British Summer time on Thursday.

English weather permitting.

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (vc), Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

First Test: August 1-5,Edgbaston

Tour match: Australians v Worcestershire, August 7-9

Second Test: August 14-18,Lord's

Third Test: August 22-26, Headingley

Tour match: Australians v Derbyshire, August 29-31

Fourth Test: September 4-8, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval