Joe Root was on Friday declared Man of the Match after he struck an unbeaten century to help England thrash West Indies by eight wickets in the 19th game of the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup clash at Rose Bowl Cricket Ground in Southampton.
Chasing a lowly target of 213 runs, Joe Root came to open the batting for the hosts for the first time in white-ball cricket and went on to score 100 runs off just 94 balls besides also stitching crucial partnerships of 95 and 104 runs with Jonny Bairstow (45) and Chris Woakes (40) to help his side cross the mark in 101 balls to spare.
En route to his knock, Root brought up his 15th ODI ton and became the first Englishman to score three World Cup hundreds.
While picking up the Player of the Match award, Root said that he didn’t feel much difference between opening and batting lower down the order.
“It was a really good toss to have won today, and it was good to take the opportunity and use the conditions. Rest of the guys helped build big partnerships. (On opening) It’s just nice to get some time in the park. Tried to hit the gaps, and it’s not much difference between opening and lower down. The way Woakes also came in and batted was very good. We spent two days in the indoor nets and (played) plenty of short stuff there,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Root as saying.
“You need to have the method and you need to back yourself to do it. We pride ourselves in having our basics covered. (On bowling) I’ve just been trying a few things. When you don’t have the skills some of the other guys have, you try out a few things. (On the Botham celebration) Still a work in progress. Tried it a couple of days ago,” he added.
Besides a 100-run knock, Root also bowled five overs and finished with the figures of two for 27 in it. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood bagged three wickets each, while Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett also chipped in with a wicket each to help England bowl out West Indies for 212 in 44.4 overs.
Overall, Root has notched up 5,479 runs in 134 ODIs he played for England at an average of 50.73.
Source: Zee News