London: Basking in the glory of their maiden World Cup triumph, England Test captain Joe Root feels the team are on the cusp of reaching the cricket "pinnacle" if they also manage to win the Ashes. Hosts England scraped past New Zealand in a dramatic final at Lord's on Sunday to lift the World Cup crown. They now channel their focus to the Ashes where the five-Test series against Australia starts from August 1.

"It's what we set out to do two or three years ago and we're halfway there," Root was quoted as saying by the BBC on Monday. "We couldn't be in a better place really, having achieved what we've achieved here," said Root. "This will give the guys confidence and we've talked about taking that forward into a series like that. The way we played against Australia in that semi-final at Edgbaston... the guys who were involved relished it and will want a bit more: the feeling of euphoria we felt at that ground... "To potentially be able to experience all that again is very exciting. Ashes cricket always has a different edge to it so that in itself will get everyone going." "It's always so special," added Root, 28.