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Joe Root: 'England are confident'

England's Joe Root says that he and his side are full of confidence ahead of next week's first Ashes Test after beating a Cricket Australia Invitational XI by seven wickets.

England star Joe Root has insisted that he and his side are full of confidence ahead of next week's first Ashes Test against Australia.

The tourists registered a seven-wicket win over a Cricket Australia Invitational XI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Root, who contributed 75 runs in England's first innings, believes that the victory has given England a big boost.

"Obviously it's great to get in a good performance this week. Good to see a lot of the lads put in strong performances and taking a lot of confidence forward to next week," Root told Sky Sports News.

"Everyone has really contributed and that's really pleasing. There will be a lot of positives to take forward to next week and hopefully we can take the momentum from this win into that.

"It's very exciting now, obviously getting the warm-up games out of the way. We've prepared very well. We've got a very important few days ahead of us. I think the mood is very good in the camp and we're really looking forward to the whole series really."

The first Test will begin in Brisbane on Thursday.

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Australia all-rounder Shane Watson plays a pull shot on day one of the fifth Investec Ashes Test against England at The Oval on August 21, 2013
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