'Sometimes it's good to win ugly': Root on England's victory
The England cricket team emerged victorious in a challenging Test match against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in Manchester. Veteran batter Joe Root played a crucial role in leading England to victory, as they chased down 205. Root starred with an unbeaten knock of 62. He acknowledged that scoring runs was particularly challenging on Day 4 of the match due to an abrasive wicket.
Root's strategy and partnership in challenging match
Root described the match as a "long, slow grind," noting that the outfield was exceptionally long and the wicket had lost much of its pace. This made timing the ball difficult, forcing him to change his approach. Despite losing three early wickets for just 70 runs, Root held his ground and built significant partnerships with vice-captain Harry Brook (49-run stand) and young wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith (64-run stand).
Root praises teammates and reflects on victory
Root praised his teammates, stating that "someone like Brookie is always going to score freely, he hits the ball nice and firmly, and Jamie as well. He's obviously in great form, and a natural striker." He also acknowledged that their win wasn't pretty, "but it is good to win ugly sometimes." Root's knock of 62*(128) included just two fours. He was back to his traditional approach of building the innings.
A unique feat for Root
As per Cricbuzz, Root now owns 10 fifty-plus scores in 4th innings (Tests) for England. Only, Mike Atherton and Alastair Cook own more such scores with 11 each. Root equaled Geoffrey Boycott (10) on this list.
England hammer SL in 1st Test to take lead
England took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after beating Sri Lanka by five wickets at the Old Trafford, Manchester. This was the first instance (since 2013) of England winning their first four Tests of home the season. Ollie Pope led from the front in the absence of regular skipper Ben Stokes, who has been ruled out of the season with a hamstring injury.
Here's how the match panned out
SL folded for 236 in the first innings after electing to bat. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Milan Rathnayake slammed fifties, while Chris Woakes and Shoaib Bashir took three-fers. England managed 358, riding on Jamie Smith's ton. Asitha Fernando's four-fer helped SL. Kamindu Mendis's ton and fiftes from Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal powered SL to 326 (second innings). However, England chased down the target.
