Boycott: Gritty England middle-order can help Joe Root's men overcome Stokes loss to win Ashes in Australia

Legendary England batsman Geoffrey Boycott has taken a swipe at suggestions Joe Root’s men cannot win the forthcoming Ashes series without vice-captain Ben Stokes.

England head off to Australia without star man Stokes after he was arrested in September, following an incident in Bristol.

The fiery Durham all-rounder has been one of England’s brightest prospects in recent years, producing the goods with both bat and ball for his country.

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Indeed, Stokes was a sole beacon of hope in the previous Ashes played Down Under, when England were routed 5-0 by the hosts.

But former opening batsman Boycott says not all hope is lost without Stokes, and that captain Root can pull off a scalp in the Australians’ own back yard.

The 77-year-old said: “Jonny Bairstow has stepped up in the last year and played very well. Moeen Ali has played very well.

“Whether Stokes plays or not, they were going to have to step up as well because Australia have more firepower with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, more pace.

“The big plus for England was the middle order, four guys (including Stokes) who can get really good, big runs. Three of them are good enough.

“They will just have to keep performing as they did.”

Boycott, now a BT Sport pundit, featured in 108 Tests for England and lifted the Urn on four occasions.

Two of those Ashes victories were in Australia, so the 1965 Wisden Cricketer of the Year knows what it takes to pull off an upset in an away series.

He is backing Root, a fellow Yorkshireman, to buck the trend and earn his biggest coup as captain – but has warned it will be the biggest challenge of his career so far.

“He’s still new, he’s still learning in the job, still getting used to it,” Boycott added. “We’ve all been there as young men, hoping one day we’ll become captain of England, stood at fine leg or cover thinking what we would do if we were captain.

“You can do all that, you should tell your mind to think like a captain. He has to make these decisions.

“He’s still young. He’s young as a person, young as a captain, only played in a few Tests (as captain) this summer.

“It’s going to be a huge huge test for him. Huge.”

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