Joe Root slams his 37th ODI fifty, breaks these records
England batter Joe Root played a scintillating knock against New Zealand in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup opening match at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. He turned out to be England's only half-centurion as they racked up 282/9 in 50 overs. Root brought an end to his lean patch, having registered his first ODI 50+ score in over a year.
A solid knock from Root
Root came to the middle after England lost Dawid Malan in the eighth over. He added crucial runs with Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, and Liam Livingstone, propelling England past 200. Although England faced a middle-order collapse, his knock saved their day. Root finally smashed 77 off 86 balls, a knock studded with 4 fours and a six.
Root's first ODI fifty in over a year
Root slammed his 37th half-century in ODI cricket. As mentioned, it was his first 50+ score in the format in over a year. The England batter last scored a fifty in July 2022 against South Africa at Chester-le-Street. His next five ODI scores read 1, 6, 0, 4, and 29. In 163 ODIs, Root has raced to 6,323 runs at 49.01.
Fifth England player with 1,000 ODI runs in Asia
Root has become the fifth England player to breach the 1,000-run mark in Asia in ODIs. He has joined Kevin Pietersen (1,638), Graham Gooch (1,262), Alastair Cook (1,104), and Eoin Morgan (1,093). Root accomplished the feat in 23 ODI innings in the continent. His tally includes nine fifties and a solitary ton. The batter's average of 57.22 is the highest among the aforementioned players.
1,000 ODI runs against New Zealand
Root has become the first England player to accomplish 1,000 ODI runs against New Zealand. He entered the game, requiring just 29 runs to get the mark. Allan Lamb (921) and David Gower (874) are the only other England batters with 800-plus ODI runs against the Kiwis. Notably, Sri Lanka are the only other team against whom Root has clobbered 1,000-plus ODI runs.
Second England batter with 800+ WC runs
During the innings, Root also became only the second England batter to score 800 runs in the ODI World Cup. He joined veteran Graham Gooch, who registered 897 WC runs at 44.85 in his career. Root now owns 835 runs from 18 WC matches at an incredible average of 55.66. Former batter Ian Bell follows Root, with 718 runs.
