Tag: #Root

Joe Root hammers West Indies bowlers and scores his 25th Test Hundred

Joe Root has achieved another feat by scoring 25 Test Hundreds in 115 Test Matches. Root has had a dream run in Test Cricket since 2021 where he scored centuries against subcontinental teams like Sri Lanka and I ndia. He literally loves toying with the bowlers as his attacking instincts are a treat to watch for the bowler too. He has been a prolific batter for quite some time now as he knows that the team is vulnerable to collapses. He has been doing his best by scoring tons of runs but in doing so he isn’t doing shrewd Captaincy which is badly needed as England are at the bottom of World Test Championship.

Root had come into bat when the team was on the verge of another collapse as the score was 80-2. The pitch was a minefield as the bowlers were having an amazing time where the odd ball was also keeping low which made the contest more enthralling. His most of the runs came towards by playing a flick shot and towards covers region. He was quite clever in his approach as he made the most of bad balls as he made the likes of Roach and Holder grind a lot.

Daniel Lawrence was the other batter present at the non-strike. He proved to be a keen observer and quick learner as he too got a great start. He made the most of out and now it looks he has sealed his place in the team as a proper middle orde batter. In the ultimate over of the Day 1 he got a bit greedy by playing a cover shot that too when he already had scored 8 runs off 4 deliveries; the trap was a brilliant as Holder had bowled enticing deliveries and then just bowled a back of length delivery and Lawrence was caught in Covers region; Lawrence would rue a lot for his shot selection, his score at that time was 91 runs, he was on the verge of a well deserved Century, Holder showed that his experience can change the momentum of the match.

England’s score is 244-3 runs with Root not out on 119 balls. England’s batters bat very deep and we can sense a 1st innings total in excess of 450 runs. Stokes and Bairstow are great at changing gears which will make life difficult for West Indies batters in the 1st innings. The new ball for West Indies has given them a huge scalp in the form of Lawrence, if they can take a leaf out of 1st Test Match where England were 268-6, they were looking set for a total around 400; but the Caribbean bowlers bundled out England for 312 Runs.

West Indies have the power to create a havoc as the 1st over holds the key here. If England manages to get away with it then we are in for a high scoring match; for West Indies they need to play witty cricket here as England’s batters would be in an attacking mindset as Root had made his intentions very much clear. Holder needs to lead the attack while the duo of Alzarri Joseph and Kemar Roach should be used; Joseph because he has raw pace which can perturb the batter whereas Roach is impeccable with his line and length. All in all, we are in for a spectacular 1st session where either we will witness a collapse or gritty defence as Stokes is sturdy in defense.

SNAPSHOT: At the end of Day 1’s Play Joe Root waiving his bat to the Crowd after smashing his 25th Test Hundred.

Headlines for 16th March 2022


(1) Pat Cummins rues missed chances in the 2nd Test Match, which went down to the wire but couldn’t produce a result. Aussie bowlers bowled more than 170 overs in the 2nd innings as of now the Pacers would be exhausted, next Test Match is scheduled on 20th March 2022.

(2) Joe Root makes a resounding comeback as he hammered Caribbean bowlers and scored an unbeaten 119 runs. He along with Daniel Lawrence were involved in a huge 166 runs.

(3) Babar Azam misses out on an incredible double century by 4 runs, in his innings he had consumed more than four hundred deliveries and made sure that Pakistan aren’t losing the match. Rizwan played a crucial role in drawing the match by notching up a Century where the pitch was doing a lot of talking.

Jonny Bairstow fires and gives a Glimpse of Proud Past

Bairstow has made a stand out comeback to the Test Setup, he notched up a Scintillating Century on Day 1. During that period England had lost 4 wickets for 48 runs and were in a precarious position. He then along with Stokes formed a crucial partnership, the partnership was a short one but they made sure that Caribbean Bowlers aren’t creating more havoc. Bairstow made sure that he plays responsibly and played according to the situation.

Bairstow went berserk after getting his eye in. He literally smashed bowlers for consecutive fours and dominated the game. He outclassed every bowler’s attempt to dismiss him. At the end of Day 1 Play, he had cracked up a Century.

The peculiarity of his century was that he played with straight bat. He played with a lot of positive attitude which was seen after a long time. He was as usual dominant in his style of batting and created a fear factor in opponent’s mind. Bairstow was seen relieved after scoring a Hard-fought Century.

Bairstow was under scanner for his performance. He had scored a Century in Ashes 2021-22 but that wasn’t enough for England to avoid an ignominy. The entire batting line up failed which resulted in the axing of Jos Buttler. Bairstow knows that he can be as lethal as Buttler and would hope that his second chance doesn’t get wasted.

Bairstow was often seen in and out of the team due to poor form. The former Director Ashley Giles, once said that Bairstow needs to have a reset. His form was so bad that selectors said openly about his omission. He was one of the senior statesmen who had immense experience and a proud record, but a sudden flip of form proved to be life changing for him.

His weakness was against spin bowling. In India Tour 2021 Bairstow got exposed to India’s foxy spinners. He wasn’t just able to move his feet in the right direction. His nemesis got exposed so much that the bowlers were comfortable in trying out new ways for getting him out.

In England vs India Test Series 2021 in England, once again he was seen having a torrid time. This time the pacers found the chink in the armour. His career was on a thin edge as smashing daddy hundreds are a must, especially from one of the best batters. ECB and Root backed him on a silent note as we will never know when a batsman founds back his groove.

The tour of Ashes started. Cricket Australia fulfilled England Cricket Board’s every demand and made Ashes 2021-22 happen. The backing paid off as Bairstow scored a magnificent century. He was seen toying with Aussie Quicks as everyone asked a simple question that why did ECB, Root and Silverwood didn’t play him before.

Earlier Bairstow was playing against his natural game. His natural way of playing is to attack and that too from the word go. It would be a huge relief as ECB finally got their old Champion Cricketer back.

His off side weakness was exposed as he wasn’t able to get off the mark. He used to get out in the initial stages which didn’t give him a chance to settle. Bairstow didn’t had the look in face when facing the bowler which was the main reason for his unforgettable outings.

The dashing batter is now back and looks set to inflict a lot of damage. His way of attacking the bowlers was unquestionable. He now has reinvented himself and we can say transformed his batting style. Bairstow would be happy that he took England out of trouble and made a strong statement that he isn’t finished yet.

The major test of character for Bairstow would be to continue the momentum forward in the 2nd Test Match at Barbados. The pitch is expected to be a topsy-turvy one where both pacers and spinners would be in the game. The performances of past can haunt him as he wasn’t a good batter when the bowlers were in full form. There are chances that West Indies opt for 2 spinners which can be threatening as well as fantastic as we all know that his destructive Bairstow can be against spinners as he showcased it against Permaul by whacking him all around the park; All in all, Bairstow has a stern test which may be difficult yet a dazzling one as Bairstow doesn’t easily throws the towel down.

SNAPSHOT: Jonny Bairstow is Ecstatic after smashing a Dazzling Century

Holder and Bonner made sure to eke out a Draw against England on a Spicy Day 5 Pitch

The moment Holder and Bonner came into bat, West Indies had lost 4 wickets and were on the verge of a defeat. England’s bowlers had 30 odd overs to rip of the batting line up. Root rotated Stokes, Woakes and Overton while at the other end it was Jack Leach. Leach was bowling a brilliant spell as he was getting ample turn which was enough to make a batter think twice before defending a ball.

Holder and Bonner were resolute in their defence. They not only made sure to play out deliveries, but made sure that they are blocking the ball in the middle of the bat. Holder in general was busy in leaving the ball which made a statement that he isn’t finished yet, as earlier in 1st innings; he was out immediately as he was undone by the trap of Ben Stokes. Bonner was typical in his defence as he continued from where he left in the 1st innings.

Holder and Bonner consumed more than 200 deliveries amongst themselves. Holder was gritty against Leach as Leach had the knack of knocking over any batter. He was just bossing the game with lethal line and lengths, at times the batter too appreciated his bowling. Leach made the most use of a dreadful pitch for batters as picking up 3 wickets wasn’t that easy as it looks.

West Indies and England are now scheduled to clash on 16th March 2022 at Barbados. Richards-Botham Trophy didn’t started like a Bang but there was exhibition of immense determination from Bairstow,Bonner and Holder. The pitch probably was docile but it wasn’t that bad for a Cricket Fan where there was even contest with bat and ball. Barbados pitch is expected to be a turner where we can expect 2 spinners in the playing 11 for both the teams. West Indies would be proud of their performance as not only their Bonner was adept while the Pacers too made England batters down on their music. England on the other hand would be relieved as they found their old Johnny Bairstow who was batting in an aggressive manner which reminded the fans of 2018-19 season; Leach’s 3 wickets are a huge boost as now they can plan to play another spinner. All in all, no team has an advantage for the 2nd Test Match which makes the contest more even than ever; Richards-Botham Trophy is tied on 0-0 and the winner of the trophy has to win both test matches. West Indies have a wood over England, while the same can be said for England.

SNAPSHOT: Holder and Bonner bailing out West Indies from a difficult Day 5

Nkrumah Bonner notches up his 2nd Test Century, West Indies pile on the pain as lead increases

SNAPSHOT: Nkrumah Bonner Raises his Bat after Scoring a Hard-fought Century against the Courageous Britain.

In the very 1st over Bonner completed his century. There was no angry celebration from his side as he knows that his Job isn’t finished yet. Kemar Roach got run out, it can be said that the pacer played a critical role in the partnership. Roach played out 80 odd deliveries in his knock which indeed is a good job done.

Joe Root handed the ball to Leach in a hope that his turning deliveries would outfox the batters. Root made a mistake by not giving the ball to Mark Wood, his express pace would have been threatening to West Indies spinner Permaul. Leach has been bowling his heart out but nothing is happening. Root would be thinking of another spin bowling option which is no one than himself.

West Indies would be thrilled as now they have found a proper middle order batter in the form of Nkrumah Bonner. The dismissal of Roach made Bonner more responsible as now he is playing determined shots better than ever. Bonner has got ample support from Permaul as he has now got his eye in. Caribbean Pacers would be watching more keenly as the bowl is keeping low and the bowlers are getting a lot of uneven bounce and movement.

Post Drinks break, Evening Session is showing us that how this Test Match is moving. Batting is by no means easy now which means that England are in a precarious position. West Indies would be eyeing to get a Crack at England’s batters before the end of Day’s play, a small session of 5-10 overs would be icing on the cake. On the other side, England are not yet down and out, they should not let lead go beyond 100 otherwise making a comeback would be tough. All in all, West Indies look all set to win the Inaugural Richards-Botham Trophy’s 1st Test Match unless and until England play out out of their skin and produce a miraculous performance.