In Short
- Joe Root got to his half-century off 74 balls
- Root came to bat after Nathan Lyon dismissed Ollie Pope
- Root hit Scott Boland for a six over third man
By India Today Sports DeskJoe Root played an outrageous shot that many would not have seen coming. The right-handed batter reverse-scooped Scott Boland for a six in the opening day’s play of the first Ashes Test against Australia at the Edgbaston in Birmingham.
Boland bowled one outside the off-stump and Root picked up the line of the ball very early. He got into position and timed the ball to perfection. The ball sailed into the stands over the third-man region. Had that shot been mistimed, the wicketkeeper and first slip were waiting to take the catch.
Root’s shot was reminiscent of the one that Indian batter Rishabh Pant played against James Anderson in the fourth Test match of the 2021 series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Pant, who hasn’t played any form of cricket in 2023, also played a similar shot off Jofra Archer in the first T20I of the series back in March 2021.
Root came to bat at No.4 in the Edgbaston Test after Nathan Lyon got the wicket of Ollie Pope by using the DRS to good effect. Thereafter, he got to his half-century off 74 balls. He also steadied the innings after the home team lost the wickets of Ben Stokes and Harry Brook in pretty quick succession.
During the break after the second session, former English skipper Eoin Morgan heaped praise on Root for showing a lot of composure in the middle.
“Strike rotation is one of the better parts of his already immaculate game. His timing, composure and balance have been [fantastic], no wonder he is averaging around 50,” Morgan told Sky Sports.
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