We can still win the Ashes - Yorkshire CCC and England star Joe Root

Only once in Ashes history has a side recovered from 2-0 down to take the urn - Bradman’s Australian class of 1936-37.

After crushing defeats in Brisbane and Sydney, Australia responded with thumping triumphs in Melbourne, Adelaide and Melbourne again as Bradman - cricket’s most prolific run-getter - rattled off successive scores of 270, 26, 212 and 169.

Root, who will be hoping to be England’s Bradman at Headingley this week, and who scored three hundreds in four Test innings himself against India in 2021, feels “mission impossible” is very much on as the “Bazball” brigade rolls into Leeds.

“We’ve got three opportunities to win the Ashes and we’ve shown on recent form that we’re more than capable of doing that,” he said.

“We love playing at this venue. You go back to 2019 (when a Ben Stokes-inspired England beat Australia by one wicket) and the atmosphere that was created throughout that Test match was incredible.

“That last day, the noise and interaction from the crowd was exceptional. That’s why we love playing here because we’re so well supported and it makes for a brilliant spectacle. I’m sure we’ll get a similar amount of support this week as well and we’ve got to thrive off that.

“It’s a must-win game. We’ve got nothing to lose as a team. We will just throw everything at this week and make sure we give ourselves the best chance of getting back into the series. That’s all we can control, all we can do.

“We’ve got a great opportunity in front of us now and have got to see it as that.”

Root has been on the wrong end of some tough Ashes campaigns in the past, including Australia’s 4-0 success in 2021-22. The victory margins in that series were emphatic (nine wickets, 275 runs, an innings and 14 runs and 146 runs) whereas this time Australia scraped a two-wicket win at Edgbaston before last week’s 43-run victory at Lord’s.

“It does feel very different (to previous times),” added Root. “If you look at some of the defeats that we had on the last tour of Australia, they were by big margins and we were massively outplayed. I don’t think that’s been the case at all in this series.

“I look at the two games and I feel we played all the cricket in the first one, but Australia snuck in the back door to win that game and credit to them - they saw an opportunity and they took it. We’re looking at very small margins in the two games, and I feel a little bit hard done by to be where we are.”

England must bounce back without Ollie Pope, who has been ruled out of the series with a dislocated shoulder. Dan Lawrence is on standby.

“It’s a big blow,” said Root of Pope’s absence. “Ollie has been phenomenal for us the last 18 months and stepped up as vice-captain of the team.

“The more responsibility that’s been given to him, the more we’ve got out of him as a player and leader within the group.

“He’ll be a big miss for us - he’s a hell of a player and a great man to have in the group as well.”

With Australia’s Nathan Lyon also ruled out of the series with a calf injury, Australia have brought in fellow spinner Todd Murphy.

The Leeds fixture also marks the 100th Test appearance of batsman Steve Smith.

"He’s a phenomenal player,” said Root, “a very smart player - one of the greatest players in modern Test cricket.”

Meanwhile, Headingley will host two T20 internationals in 2024, with England women taking on Pakistan on May 19 before the men’s sides go head-to-head three days later.

England men face Australia in an ODI in Leeds on September 21.