Joe Root makes the Aussies look stupid as England saviour secures Ashes history | Cricket | Sport
England hero Joe Root issued the perfect response to his critics in Australia by finally securing a historic Ashes century Down Under. Root’s questionable record in the country was a major talking point ahead of the series, having gone 29 innings without a ton prior to the second Test. He was singled out by the Australian media, who revelled in the opportunity to poke fun at his expense.
After arriving in the country, Root was branded ‘average Joe’ by the West Australian newspaper, who also described him as a ‘hero in the homeland’ but ‘pretender in Australia’. He was unable to get close to a century in the first Test, scoring just eight runs in total as England were beaten inside two days. However, an inspired display in Brisbane saw him finally achieve that milestone under the lights at The Gabba.
Root was tasked with steadying the ship after England lost two wickets in the opening three overs and duly delivered, producing an incredible knock to maintain their hopes of victory in the second Test.
He completed the century with a well-taken four through fine leg and was clearly delighted, jumping for joy before raising his bat and soaking up the applause of the England fans in the crowd.
He was singled out for high praise by Alastair Cook, who was on commentary duties for TNT Sports and said: “Joe Root has put the story to bed. Even Australia will have to admit he’s a great now!
“A brilliant innings and just what England needed. Superb under pressure as always. England’s best batsman ever and he just gets better and better.”
Jonathan Agnew, meanwhile, said on BBC Test Match Special: “Joe Root has done it! What a fight it has been. Largely written off by the Australian media, but it has been that kind of trip. He has fought so hard for this. That will quieten a few critics.”
Before the start of the series, Root insisted that he was not thinking about an elusive century in Australia, explaining that he was only focused on helping England in a positive manner.
“I just feel again it’s my job in this team to score as many runs as I can and affect games for England in a positive manner with the bat,” he told TNT Sports.
“Every time I go out there I’ll try and have the same approach, and coming here in a different capacity – four more years’ experience, no responsibility of captaincy, no Covid distractions or any other things to contend with – alongside trying to be a good senior player and making sure that I’m as ready as I can be with bat in hand.
“I think more than anything it’s just enjoying every game and get to grips with the surface and try to get on top of the opposition when the chances arise.
“This tour is not about me, it’s about us collectively doing something special as a group of players. It’s about building those big partnerships that set games up and that can hopefully chase down targets.
“I know that if I play in the manner that I have done in the past couple of years I can give myself a good chance of getting in strong positions with the bat and we will see where that leads to.”
