Without Ben Stokes, underdogs England ready to prove critics wrong in the Ashes says Joe Root

England Test skipper Joe Root is determined to the prove the naysayers wrong as his side landed in Perth ahead of their Ashes preparation.

England will take on Australia as the underdogs, having lost the last Ashes series in a 5-0 humiliation back in 2013/14 while they are also without the services of Ben Stokes.

Stokes, a key player for the visitors, is still under police investigation for his involvement in a brawl that took place outside a Bristol nightclub and has not travelled to Australia.

Root though, says the Three Lions are confident of victory and have a well-balanced squad that is capable of defeating the hosts.

"We are very confident we can win," Root told the local press, as quoted in The Guardian. "We are a completely different side from the one that was here last time."

"We have a good strong squad with experienced players who have been here and won before, and some very young, exciting players that are desperate to prove to everyone how good they are.

"That drives us and motivates us to prove them [the pundits] wrong. In Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad and James Anderson we have three of England's all-time greats in terms of runs and wickets, and we have a group of guys who have really stood up over the last couple of years."

While Stokes is alleged to have been defending a gay couple from homophobic abuse, he will still not take part in the series at this point, despite calls from many to take him on the plane.

Root would like to see his teammate and friend in the Durham allrounder feature in Australia but insists that England are planning their preparation without him.

"In terms of the criminal investigation it's just a story at the moment," Root added. "We don't know what's going on with that and we have to let the police get on with it."

"Hopefully it can be good news for Ben; as a friend of his, I hope it is. In terms of the reality of it all, we have to wait and see, we have to plan as if he's not going to be here. Ben's been a massive part of this team for a long time now. He could have done his knee and been out for six months.

"We have a strong squad and have plenty of other all-rounders, and guys who can come in who are keen to prove a point and step up. The great thing about playing here in Australia is that you have an opportunity to earn a huge amount of respect from around the world if you perform well here."

England begin their Ashes preparation with a day-night Test match lasting four days against a Cricket Australia XI in Adelaide from 8 November.