It was Root’s 17th Test match century and his first for England in 15 innings.
An English batsman who is able to perform extremely well and score a three-figure-run is rare these days. However, during the third day of the second Test match at Seddon Park, openers Rory Burns and Joe Root did just that. Together, both players scored 177 runs to put up England by a large lead in their first innnings.
While Burns achieved his second Test century, skipper Root scored an unbeaten century. In doing so, it would be his 17th Test match century and his first for England in 15 innings ever since February. Lately, he has come under pressure for his low-scoring performance at-bat as well as his tactics and decision-making as a leader.
Rory Burns, who scored his second century of the year, defended Root. ‘It’s really nice to see the skipper get his runs. He’s obviously a very good player and a lot of stuff has been said in recent times. Not scoring runs as a batsman might bring other things into the equation, which aren’t necessarily true. When he bats like that, everyone’s behind him and knows exactly what he can do. It’s awesome to see him get them’, said the player in an interview.
Stuart Broad pointed out that both players were the ‘crucial wickets for England’. ‘I’m not sure he said that I was the key wicket… He just said that he fancied me, slightly. I’m glad that I made his words come true. I just tried to apply myself for as long as I could. It came to a slightly disappointing end but I thought I played quite well. The run-out was my call, and that’s where my Surrey strength and conditioning coach will be slightly disappointed because he prides himself on my twos. I’ve probably let him down there’.
England will face South Africa in four Tests, three T20s, and three ODIs beginning December 26. To find out more about England’s upcoming matches, visit Betwala’s page.
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