Joe Root scores record-equalling century to put England in ‘position of strength’ against Sri Lanka
Published 29/08/2024 at 20:29 GMT+1
Joe Root levelled Sir Alastair Cook for the most Test centuries for England with his 33rd on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka. Root delivered a knock of 143 to revive England from a shaky start at Lord's. “We are in a position of strength and to get there from where we were at one stage, it's really pleasing," Root said after Thursday's action.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Joe Root produced a record-equalling 33rd Test century for England against Sri Lanka to pull level with former captain Sir Alastair Cook and become the country's joint leading century-maker.
The batsman delivered a knock of 143 to help England shake off a wobbly start against the tourists at Lord’s on the opening day of the second Test as the hosts finished on 358-7.
“It was a nice day,” Root told BBC Sport after the match. “We are in a position of strength and to get there from where we were at one stage, it's really pleasing.”
Before Root took control, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence and stand-in skipper Ollie Pope managed a combined 50 runs off 79 balls before they were all dismissed.
But Root came to England’s rescue with a superb contribution.
The unbeaten partnership of Gus Atkinson and Matthew Potts concluded Thursday’s action, as the former sealed his maiden Test half-century.
Root’s impressive innings was abruptly ended when a wild shot was caught by Pathum Nissanka off Milan Rathnayake.
"I was disappointed because I got out. You can get out to any shot,” Root said.
“We were in a position where we had limited their options before the new ball so they had to bring the seamer back on, and it was about mentally putting a nail in the coffin before kicking on in the last hour.
"We'd have had 400 on the board, with one less wicket down potentially, so it depends how you want to look at the game. I don't want to be driven by fear, I want to be driven by opportunities to score and I felt like I'd earned the right to do that in the situation."
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Atkinson (74*) and Potts (20*) put on a half-century stand as they prepare to pick up where they left off on Friday.
“We can come back tomorrow with two lads set, and we've taken the shine off the new ball so if we can push on past 400, we're in a great position,” Root said.
"We're in a good position, anything past what we've done today is a bonus. It's a pretty good pitch, it's not doing all sorts but it is quite slow and there's a bit in it.
“It's wobbling, there is some grip, we've just to play what's in front of us and utilise what we've got."
Following his historic knock, Root said that he “feels good at the moment” because he has been able to navigate his way through tricky patches.
“I'm in a good place,” he said. “It's not quite perfect, the state where you're barely thinking about it, the way it feels when you're at your absolute best. In that state, it can feel like you're outside of your body at times.
"But when it doesn't feel right, I feel like I can manage it well and not let it get to me, I can find a way through tricky periods which is a nice place to be."
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