Joe Root. The cheeky Yorkshire chappy taking to international cricket like you won't believe. Ever since a fresh-faced Root took guard on the South Island against a New Zealand XI, with the beautiful Queenstown Oval backdrop behind him in February 2013, the boy has been prolific in pretty much everything he's done. Twenty20, Test Cricket, ODIs? Don't worry about it.
Unless you've spent the last few months hiding under a stone or competing in the latest series of Channel 4's 'The Hunted', you are bound to know just what this lad is capable of. As Michael Holding hinted, Root's new ODI shirt number of 66 may, for many, fuel flashbacks to a 40s jazz record or a long-stretching highway through the heart of the United States. "Chicago to Santa Monica," Holding exclaimed in his usual rhythmical fashion, "he doesn't want that tag! It's a long road starting North and only heading South!" Oh the irony.
Root's domination in the longer format is now well-documented, with England's classy number 4 on course to usurp the run records set by the great Sachin Tendulkar. But less of a threat in the current blue and black of England in the ODI format, you say? I would say not. Not worth spending the time to plan the demise of an accumulator in the six-hitting and tattoo-wearing, macho era of modern one-day cricket? Certainly. A recent feature heard Root himself downplaying some of his skills: "No levers like Alex Hales, less power than Stokes and Jos (Buttler)," he explained. "I'm working on that part of my game to help improve the team further." The original Bobby Troup lyric goes, 'Down through Missouri,’ but Root's game is doing just the opposite, taking the wrong side of the highway and dodging the traffic all the way to the top. At the time of writing, he has been busy planting 5 of his 25 career sixes onto the green grassy banks of SuperSport Park, while completing a magnificent 7th ODI hundred in the process. Working on your range-hitting eh Joe? I'm looking forward to seeing the improved results of that one.
Now standing at a fabulously convenient 66 completed ODIs (thank you and goodnight!), it’s unlikely the Sheffield-born batter will ever turn himself into a Chris Gayle or a MS Dhoni calibre of ball striker, despite the altitude-inspired power hitting we just witnessed at Centurion. So surely in the age of the ever-increasing run rate and the soon-to-be par score of 400, this style of player will soon be made extinct? Surely power hitters from 1 to 10 or 11, looking to clear the ropes at every opportunity, and from the off, is the way forward for batsman in the limited overs format, right? Wrong.
England have got the ingredients of their 50 over side spot-on. Filling the side with powerful guys easily able to hit 6s in the two openers followed by Morgan to David Willey (at 4-10), is of course the modern key to success in ODI cricket, but without the crucial cog of little Rooty at number 3, the success of the side would be limited. I won't downplay the importance of Roy, Morgan and Buttler, but without the insurance of a world-class number 3 in Root, they wouldn't quite have the freedom they currently enjoy.
Just like a fresh Victoria Sponge cake, Root glues England's middle order together beautifully. He is the cream in their deliciously attractive batting line-up. We are looking at a collapsed cake without him. His exceptional skill level through the middle overs allows the other batsmen to throw absolute caution to the wind, knowing there is a very good chance he will bat for a large chunk of the innings. And not at too a bad lick either. A Joe Root ODI hundred comes at better than a run a ball (barring the first of those seven), and with the promised improvement of his six hitting capabilities, we can only expect his strike rate to get healthier.
Ironically, during previous set-ups, Root would have held the title of the most aggressive strokemaker. While now he looks to bat through at his own pace, which just illustrates the positive evolution this side has managed through Morgan and Bayliss.
The road to the next World Cup is still a long and winding one, but ultimately a road on which England will want to focus the majority of their 50-over attention on. However many batting options England look at in the coming years, ultimately all roads will end up leading to Joe. Unlike the American version of Route 66, this Root is heading well and truly North, and that constant schoolboy smile on his face suggests me that secretly, he is well aware of the comic irony that this splendid name and number combination bring with it.
Jamie Mann
Unless you've spent the last few months hiding under a stone or competing in the latest series of Channel 4's 'The Hunted', you are bound to know just what this lad is capable of. As Michael Holding hinted, Root's new ODI shirt number of 66 may, for many, fuel flashbacks to a 40s jazz record or a long-stretching highway through the heart of the United States. "Chicago to Santa Monica," Holding exclaimed in his usual rhythmical fashion, "he doesn't want that tag! It's a long road starting North and only heading South!" Oh the irony.
Root's domination in the longer format is now well-documented, with England's classy number 4 on course to usurp the run records set by the great Sachin Tendulkar. But less of a threat in the current blue and black of England in the ODI format, you say? I would say not. Not worth spending the time to plan the demise of an accumulator in the six-hitting and tattoo-wearing, macho era of modern one-day cricket? Certainly. A recent feature heard Root himself downplaying some of his skills: "No levers like Alex Hales, less power than Stokes and Jos (Buttler)," he explained. "I'm working on that part of my game to help improve the team further." The original Bobby Troup lyric goes, 'Down through Missouri,’ but Root's game is doing just the opposite, taking the wrong side of the highway and dodging the traffic all the way to the top. At the time of writing, he has been busy planting 5 of his 25 career sixes onto the green grassy banks of SuperSport Park, while completing a magnificent 7th ODI hundred in the process. Working on your range-hitting eh Joe? I'm looking forward to seeing the improved results of that one.
Now standing at a fabulously convenient 66 completed ODIs (thank you and goodnight!), it’s unlikely the Sheffield-born batter will ever turn himself into a Chris Gayle or a MS Dhoni calibre of ball striker, despite the altitude-inspired power hitting we just witnessed at Centurion. So surely in the age of the ever-increasing run rate and the soon-to-be par score of 400, this style of player will soon be made extinct? Surely power hitters from 1 to 10 or 11, looking to clear the ropes at every opportunity, and from the off, is the way forward for batsman in the limited overs format, right? Wrong.
England have got the ingredients of their 50 over side spot-on. Filling the side with powerful guys easily able to hit 6s in the two openers followed by Morgan to David Willey (at 4-10), is of course the modern key to success in ODI cricket, but without the crucial cog of little Rooty at number 3, the success of the side would be limited. I won't downplay the importance of Roy, Morgan and Buttler, but without the insurance of a world-class number 3 in Root, they wouldn't quite have the freedom they currently enjoy.
Just like a fresh Victoria Sponge cake, Root glues England's middle order together beautifully. He is the cream in their deliciously attractive batting line-up. We are looking at a collapsed cake without him. His exceptional skill level through the middle overs allows the other batsmen to throw absolute caution to the wind, knowing there is a very good chance he will bat for a large chunk of the innings. And not at too a bad lick either. A Joe Root ODI hundred comes at better than a run a ball (barring the first of those seven), and with the promised improvement of his six hitting capabilities, we can only expect his strike rate to get healthier.
Ironically, during previous set-ups, Root would have held the title of the most aggressive strokemaker. While now he looks to bat through at his own pace, which just illustrates the positive evolution this side has managed through Morgan and Bayliss.
The road to the next World Cup is still a long and winding one, but ultimately a road on which England will want to focus the majority of their 50-over attention on. However many batting options England look at in the coming years, ultimately all roads will end up leading to Joe. Unlike the American version of Route 66, this Root is heading well and truly North, and that constant schoolboy smile on his face suggests me that secretly, he is well aware of the comic irony that this splendid name and number combination bring with it.
Jamie Mann