Joe Root rescues England and seals series with sublime century

Times

2 days ago

One-day internationals can come and go, gone from the memory banks as quickly as some of the balls fly to the boundary, but sometimes they can linger. Sometimes an individual's brilliance, particularly when it goes against the grain of most modern thinking and hitting, will make a lasting impression, and that will surely be the case here after Joe Root's match-winning innings.
It was that special; a magnificent unbeaten 166 (off only 139 balls), his 18th century in ODIs and 54th in total in international cricket, that, with its class and character, rescued England from a perilous position.
It was clearly one of his finest innings, but all he would say was: 'It was good fun, I enjoyed it.' The 34-year-old went on to praise England's bowlers for restricting West Indies to 308 when 350 had looked likely at one stage.
He had some luck early on, but the crispness and touch of his strokes — a back-foot punch and on drive, both off Jayden Seales, stand out most — and the calmness of his decision-making as the pressure grew were a joy to behold. We really are lucky to be able to watch a player of such greatness; such orthodoxy that can find its metier amid the muscle and the mayhem. And, given Root's age, we should cherish every moment of it.
Root was superbly supported by Will Jacks, who is clearly revelling in his new role at No 7, in a partnership of 143 that helped England to an unassailable 2-0 series lead, ensuring tomorrow's finale at the Oval will be a dead-rubber match.
'The way that Jacksy played was exceptional,' Root said. 'In a position in which he has not batted a lot, to show the maturity, skill levels, calmness and clarity he did was really impressive.'
It was the highest chase in an ODI at Cardiff and was scant reward for Keacy Carty's fluent fourth ODI century, but, without wishing to be too harsh and it was indeed pleasing to see West Indies competitive after Thursday's mauling at Edgbaston, Carty summed up where West Indies erred. Having been inserted on what turned out to be a good pitch, they really should have got so many more.
They were bowled out with 2.2 overs of their innings remaining, and Carty will know that, with just under 15 overs of the innings left, he should then have gone for the kill rather than tamely being stumped off Jacks's off spin.
It was hard too on Brandon King and Shai Hope, the captain, who both made half-centuries, as well as Alzarri Joseph, who bowled with pace and hostility.
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And England were actually poor in many areas. They were horribly sloppy in the field, dropping catches for fun, and, for all the excellence of Saqib Mahmood and Adil Rashid with the ball, they missed the injured Jamie Overton when attempting to intimidate West Indies with the short-ball ploy that had worked so well in Birmingham. With the bat they began horrifically and, though Harry Brook, the captain, sparkled briefly, it required something special from Root to take them to victory.
The inexperienced West Indies opener Jewel Andrew got a duck but thereafter Carty and King put on a run-a-ball partnership of 141 that laid a solid foundation for the visiting team. Brydon Carse snared Andrew and could have had more immediately too but Ben Duckett failed to take two difficult catches at second slip, while Mahmood dropped King on 42 off Jacob Bethell.
England could also have run either of Carty or King out when they were stranded mid-pitch after a mix-up, but Duckett chose the safe option of an underarm throw to the wicketkeeper from mid-on and, sadly, it was more of a lob and King made his ground.
Inevitably it was the ever-reliable leg spinner Rashid who broke the partnership, persuading King to hit him to Carse at long-off. Shimron Hetmyer was trapped leg-before by Rashid and Justin Greaves went when Duckett at last had some success in the field, taking the catch at long-off to give Bethell a wicket.
Brook took a brilliant tumbling catch to dismiss Matthew Forde and Roston Chase edged the next ball from Mahmood behind, and the end then came swiftly for West Indies, even if there was another fielding howler as Root dropped Hope before catching Gudakesh Motie the next ball off Rashid. Joseph slogged merrily, going six, four, out to Rashid, whose four wickets cost 63, before Hope was the last man out to Mahmood, who finished with three for 37.
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In reply England made the worst possible start, losing both openers for ducks, Jamie Smith edging a good ball from Seales in the first over, and Duckett completed a miserable day by slicing Forde to third man. And it could have been a third duck, as Root would have been a long way out from a direct hit when Brook called him for a single.
And, on seven, Root was so close to being leg-before to Forde. The review just, and only just, fell in Root's favour.
Next ball Brook, on 30, was dropped behind off Seales and Root could have been run out again on 30, before Brook top-edged Joseph to long leg. And a third duck did come, and it was a sketchy seven-ball one for Jos Buttler, bowled off his back elbow by Joseph.
Root passed Eoin Morgan as England's leading runscorer in ODIs (he would take his record tally to 7,082) and made fifty from only 52 balls, but Bethell could not repeat his Edgbaston heroics, leg-before to Chase, and from the last 20 overs England required 142 with five wickets in hand.
It was a tough ask, but Root pulled Motie for six to go to 96 and went to his hundred off 98 balls with a swept four next ball. Still 105 runs were needed, though, but three fours in a Chase over, including two reverse-sweeps, soon reduced that. With ten overs left, England, with Root on 132, required only 64. Root went to his highest ODI score (previously 133 not out) with a straight six off Greaves. 'It's a sign you're getting old,' he said afterwards with further typical modesty.
West Indies seemed to delay Joseph's return to the attack too long, because, when he did reappear, he trapped Jacks leg-before for 49, with 33 still to win.
On Root surged, though, passing 150 off 129 balls. Carse was bounced out by Joseph, who bowled a wicket maiden to finish off a valiant effort, but Root found further assistance from Rashid and, fittingly, the great man hit the winning runs, with seven balls remaining, with another beautiful on-drive. Simple and perfect.