Former England skipper Joe Root, who was adjudged the player of the match in the second ODI, has opened up on missing his well-deserved century as he was stranded on an unbeaten 99 in Cardiff on Thursday, July 16.
Speaking at the post-match presentation after the series was leveled 1-1, Root revealed that he doesn’t dwell much on personal records, adding that he aimed to win the game for his team. He went on to state that he is eager to take on the visitors at the Home of Cricket on Sunday.
“Absolutely. And that’s what the game’s about. 1-1 in the series going into Lord’s. And in those conditions, on that pitch, just to be there at the end and get the job done is probably the best feeling you can get in cricket,” Joe Root said after the game.
“I’ve got out a few times, funny, but no. But like I said, that’s not what you play for (on missing his ton). You play to win games. And this series is very much alive now, which is what we intended at the start today. And I’m very much looking forward to a big game at Lord’s now,” he added.
In the 234-run chase, England finished off the proceedings in 44.1 overs with four wickets in hand. Talismanic batter Joe Root was stranded on an unbeaten 99 off 133 balls with nine fours as Gus Atkinson finished the game with a boundary.
“Yeah, I think throughout the whole game it was difficult to bat. And I think our bowlers did a brilliant job once they got that partnership, to peg them back to that score, gave us the opportunity to bat time and to soak up a bit of pressure in different periods of the game, if and when we needed to. And I thought we did that well on the whole. And obviously to get across the line, sometimes you’ve got to win scrappy and ugly. And like I say, we now go to Lord’s with everything to play for,” he concluded.
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