England beat West Indies to take commanding lead in series as record-breaker Joe Root anchors chase

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

After their brutal brilliance in Birmingham, England threatened to go kaput in Cardiff only three days later.
'Welcome to the life of an England captain, Harry Brook,' they would have teased, after a torrid fielding display that included four dropped catches, two missed run-outs and countless other clangers.
But the post-mortem of that side of the performance will have to wait on a day like this. A day where we were treated to a masterclass from Joe Root. The best batsman to ever do it with the Three Lions on their chest.
After losing two wickets in the first nine balls of their reply to the West Indies' total of 308, the odds were stacked against him and England.
And there were nervy moments early on. Even he is not immune to those.
The West Indies seamers, all over the shop at Edgbaston, were bang on the money in the early stages here, extracting every drop of movement at their disposal.
Root's captain didn't do him any favours either, almost running out his fellow Yorkshireman before he was off the mark. Seven runs later, only a tight umpire's call on review saved Root's bacon when he was trapped on the crease by Windies seamer Matthew Forde.
Crisis averted, England's unassuming assassin knuckled down in his usual manner. With his weapon of choice, his trusty lump of willow, in hand, he knocked the ball to each and every corner of Sophia Gardens with his usual artistry and craft.
It seemed as though he pushed, pulled and cracked the ball over each and every blade of grass.
The West Indies had no answers now. Leave a gap deep behind square on the leg side? Root will sweep you to death.
Think you're safe to leave the tiniest of holes between two fielders in the off-side? Root, the master of the geometry of batting, will find a way to pierce that space and make you pay.
Records tumbled, as they often seem to do, as he went about his business. You're now looking at England's leading run-scorer in ODIs after Root surpassed Eoin Morgan.
He took calculated risks, just as his former captain used to, as he powered on towards his 18th ODI hundred.
He reached that milestone in brutal fashion, latching onto a drag down from spinner Gudakesh Motie to launch the ball over midwicket for six before sweeping hard to the boundary for four to bring up his ton the very next ball. This is certainly up there with the best of his 18.
The supporting cast played only fleeting roles. Brook crashed and bashed his way to 47 before he was undone by a skiddy bouncer from Alzarri Joseph, the pick of the Windies bowlers.
When Will Jacks, England's last genuine all-rounder, was dismissed, silence descended on even the rowdy sections of the ground.
But the unflappable Root responded in the fashion which would've left his captain purring: by stepping away and slapping Forde to the cover boundary with utter disdain to bring up his 150. 'Rooooot,' reverberated around south Wales.
It was still echoing when Root who finished the job too, punching Jayden Seales down the ground for a 21st boundary of the afternoon, to go with his two sixes, to leave the field with 166 runs of the highest order to his name.
After congratulating his good mate, Brook will wonder how things contrived to unravel quite so dramatically for his side after Brydon Carse had England off to a flier.
He caught the splice of Jewel Andrew's bat with a vicious rising delivery, the ball spooning up to Jacks at cover in only the second over.
Then, you couldn't help but think that a repeat of the Edgbaston drubbing was on the cards. But, with a generous helping hand from England, Brandon King and Carty led the fightback.
Carty was put down on one by Duckett and only a few overs later, an edge from King's bat burst through his fingertips too.
Adil Rashid (centre) took four West Indies wickets as England bowled their opponents out
The sloppiness spread like wildfire amongst England fielders. Saqib Mahmood shelled another simple chance offered up by Carty, who would have run out King on 49 had Brook's throw been on target.
The ball, as it does on those tough days, seemed to follow poor Duckett. He had the chance to run out either King or Carty. Instead, in the heat of the moment, Duckett was like a rabbit in headlights. He threw to the far end with a limp under-arm toss, allowing King to make it home safe.
The West Indies innings threatened to hit the buffers when Carty was eventually dismissed. Hope, though, upped the ante to push the West Indies to 308 when he was the last man dismissed for 78.
There was still time, though, for another sitter to go down. Root was the guilty party this time. Rashid, the bowler, was far from amused.
It was poetic, then, that Rashid was the one to see England over the line alongside Root with one of his typically gritty lower-order knocks. He was all smiles by then. It's hard to hold a grudge against a great, after all.