Joe Root on Monday became the first England player to score a century during the series as the visitors strengthened their stranglehold in the third Test against the West Indies.
The England captain compiled a patient, unbeaten 111 in Saint Lucia as the visitors closed in on a consolation victory after losing the first two Tests of the three-match series.
Ben Stokes was on 29 and England were 325-4 in their second innings at the close, an overall lead of 448 runs with two days remaining in Gros Islet.
Photo: AP
Root had endured a poor series with the bat, making just 55 runs in his five previous innings, but he made amends by notching up his 16th Test century with a classic drive through mid-off for four, albeit off a generous full toss from Alzarri Joseph.
Root’s celebration showed just how much the innings meant to him as he punched the air, hugged teammate Stokes and then soaked up the minute-long applause from a pro-England crowd singing his name.
Root did not want to read too much into his recent low scores, especially since a couple of those dismissals had been to virtually unplayable deliveries.
“You can look at it like that, but you can look at some of the dismissals I’ve had in there, too,” he told the BBC.
“You have to be realistic sometimes,” Root added. “If you feel form is a numbers game, then I have had a lean run, but I’ve got a good approach to batting and it’s stood me in good stead until now.”
Though the Test series is lost, he said the match was far from being irrelevant.
“It’s been a tough three games and we have been outplayed at times, so I think it was important we showed some resilience, bounced back and showed what we are capable of as a side,” Root said.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain agreed.
“Some people might say the series is gone, but not if you’re the England captain,” Hussain said. “They’ve got an Ashes summer, a World Cup summer. It now could be 2-1 and a hundred in your last Test innings of the winter in Test cricket. That sets up you perfectly for what lies ahead, so this game and this innings was absolutely vital for Root.”
The West Indies endured a long day in the field, picking up just four wickets.
Their cause was not helped by a thigh injury incurred early by pace bowler Keemo Paul, who departed on a stretcher, leaving the hosts with only three quick bowlers complemented by Roston Chase’s part-time spin.
Batsman Darren Bravo was also absent from the field after being struck on a finger on Sunday.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
RSS