England's Joe Root Stepped Up Again After Top Order Collapse Against Sri Lanka

Aug. 30, 2024, 3:01 a.m.

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In a world constantly changing, there are few things that remain consistent. English cricket is fortunate to have Joe Root, whose batting prowess is a reliable constant.

On a sun-drenched morning at Lord's, England's batting lineup would have been celebrating their good fortune when Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl. Dhananjaya de Silva's decision was met with almost universal surprise.

However, it wasn't luck that England seemed particularly keen to embrace. Their shaky top order, including makeshift opener Dan Lawrence and Ollie Pope, who is currently struggling with poor form, captaincy, and the burden of batting at number three, seemed determined to validate de Silva's derided strategy, gifting their wickets with unnecessary selflessness.

Advertisement Root walked in with England at 42/2, a scenario so common it has its own meme. It's hardly an exaggeration to say that this situation is something he probably envisions in his sleep. This truly was a meeting of the three titans of constancy in English cricket: Lord's - 140 years into its Test history - Joe Root, and the batting lineup being two wickets down with only 30-40 runs on the board.

Unlike his top three colleagues, Ben Duckett has looked in excellent form this summer. But he too became a victim of the extreme generosity bug that seemed to infect the top order. He was caught on the boundary attempting a reverse sweep, when perhaps more caution would have been prudent.

At lunch, England were 97/3, a score that barely hinted at the mountain of rebuilding efforts Root has undertaken for the team over the years. However, as the afternoon progressed, he settled back into his familiar rhythm, guiding them out of trouble.

Harry Brook and Jamie Smith provided temporary support, partnerships of 48 and 62 guiding the team through calmer periods, but neither batsman would surpass 33 runs. With England at 192/5, Sri Lanka's decision to bowl seemed less audacious after all.

However, for supporters of Sri Lanka, the underdogs, or indeed those who relish English cricketing setbacks, there was still a significant cause for concern, as England, with Root at the crease, always retained hope, and so it proved once more.

Advertisement Sri Lanka had effectively put England under significant pressure, but as the day progressed and the bowlers fatigued, Root seized the opportunity, his partnership with Gus Atkinson proving to be the pivotal factor in swinging the match decisively in England's favor.

In an almost changeless innings, one early umpire’s call DRS reprieve aside, perhaps the biggest strife Root faced was the 12 balls he spent on 99, the nervous excitement of the crowd – who sighed and gasped in unison at each successive failure to secure that precious final run – injecting a sensation of tension into Root’s knock for practically the first time.

Advertisement After 13 attempts, Root finally reached the coveted three-figure mark. True to his style, he achieved this by opening his face and guiding the ball elegantly to the third man boundary for four runs. It was a textbook Root shot.

This century marked his 33rd in Test cricket, equaling the record held by Alastair Cook for England. He continues to inch closer to Sachin Tendulkar's record Test runs tally (3,647 runs to go, if you're interested) and is on the verge of surpassing Kumar Sangakkara for the sixth spot on the all-time list, with only 126 runs separating him from that milestone.

For English cricket enthusiasts, the last few years without Root are hard to contemplate. In the past five years alone, he has scored a remarkable 17% of all England's runs. When he finally fell for 143, using a reverse scoop to add to the conversation around his batting style, England had gained a crucial lead at 308/7.

Advertisement This momentum continued before the close of play, as Atkinson and Matthew Potts added an unbroken 50-run stand for the eighth wicket, guiding England to 358/7. Once again, Root's batting heroics rescued the day and the match.