Joe Root on Sunday underlined his talent — which had long seemed obvious from early in his career — when he became just the second England batsman to score 10,000 Test runs during a match-winning hundred against New Zealand at Lord’s.
The 31-year-old’s typically composed 115 not out took England, who had been faltering at 69-4, to a target of 277 and a five-wicket victory over the World Test champions with more than a day to spare.
Root radiated serenity at the crease, keeping the scoreboard ticking over against a quality attack without resorting to extravagant strokes during a 170-ball innings that spanned nearly five-and-a-half hours.
Photo: Reuters
No wonder Ben Stokes, in his first match since succeeding Root as England captain, said afterward of his close friend: “‘Mr Dependable,’ Joe Root, stood up. Scoring a hundred and 10,000 runs — what a player and what a man.”
Root, an orthodox ‘touch’ batsman rather than a power hitter, made his mark playing for the same Sheffield Collegiate club as another former England captain, Michael Vaughan.
By the time Root had turned 23 he was already being spoken of as a future England skipper, having marked his Test debut with a patient innings of 73 from 229 balls against India in Nagpur in 2012.
Root’s rise continued the following year with a first Test hundred — against New Zealand at his Headingley home ground — before a maiden Ashes century at Lord’s.
However, there was a dip in Australia — where Root has still to score a Test century — as he lost form along with several teammates, as England were whitewashed during the 2013-2014 Ashes.
Root, dropped for the fifth Test in Sydney, responded in style back on home soil with a double hundred against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, followed by two centuries against India.
Given that England play so much more Test cricket than most of their rivals, a slump was inevitable and it was not long before concerns were being expressed about Root’s “conversion rate.”
Between Root’s hundred in Johannesburg in early 2016 on a victorious tour and a century in Rajkot as England slumped to a 4-0 defeat in India, he passed 50 six times, but only turned one of those innings into a hundred, albeit a career-best 254 against Pakistan at Old Trafford.
Root succeeded Alastair Cook — the only other England batsman to have scored 10,000 Test runs — as captain in 2017.
Root’s current Test batting average is a fraction under 50, the mark of an all-time great, with his tally of 26 hundreds at this level exceeded for England only by the retired Cook’s 33 — and Sunday’s innings suggest there are plenty more runs to come.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
RSS