- The Observer
4 25.08.19 Cricket
Subhead Here
Third Specsavers Ashes Test
Root shakes off sleepless nights
and locates his inner Boycott
Any optimists
looking for good
omens in the hope
that England can chase down 359,
then look to Headingley, which has
played home to some memorable
chases, not least the highest on
these shores, 404 for three by Sir
Don Bradman’s class of 1948. Two
summers ago Shai Hope inspired
the West Indies to 322 for fi ve to
claim a famous win and England
have a famous victory of their own
to call back, Mark Butcher’s 173
not out seeing the hosts to 315 for
seven (above) in the 2001 Ashes.Lucky Leeds?
It was so hot in the sunshine at
Headingley that by 2pm plenty of
spectators were taking shelter in the
shadows under the Western Terrace.
There was not a scrap of cover out in
the middle, where Joe Root was start-
ing out on one of the most important
innings of his career. Root was play-
ing to prove he is still one of the
world’s best batsman, that he can
still do it even while he’s shouldering
the captaincy, and, more than that,
to fi ght for what could be his last,
distant chance at winning an Ashes
series as a skipper. This is the eighth
Test England have played against
Australia under Root ; they have lost
fi ve and drawn two of the other seven.
With a record like that, he knows
there is no guarantee he will still beEngland captain by the time England
go back to Australia in 2021. Losing an
Ashes series in Australia is one thing,
being beaten in England is another.
Right now you couldn’t even be sure
he will still be in the job this winter,
when England will have a new head
coach with his own ideas about what
has gone wrong with the team in the
last few years.
Back in the spring of 2013 Root
made his very first Test century
here at Headingley, 104 against New
Zealand. He was 22 then, but so baby-
faced that, he admitted afterwards,
he was still getting asked for his ID
whenever he tried to buy a pint. Kevin
Pietersen called him the fi rst nine-
year-old to score a ton for England.
If he looked young for 22 then, helooks old for 28 now. The England
captaincy will do that to you. Back at
the start of the Test summer Root said
he would be lying if he denied he was
feeling tired after the World Cup, and
there wasn’t any point trying to kid
the press anyway since his black bags
and crows feet gave him away.
Root has played a lot of interna-
tional cricket in the last six years,
320 innings altogether, more than
any other player. He has faced almost
20,000 balls, more than any other
batsman and almost a quarter as
many again as have two of the other
great batsmen of his generation,
Kane Williamson and Steve Smith.
The only player who has come close
to matching his workload is Virat
Kohli. Root’s game has grown frayedANDREW BOYERS/ACTION IMAGES; PA; TOM JENKINS/THE OBSERVERHard knocks Tough day at the crease
69th over
Jofra Archer
strikes Marnus
Labuschagne
with a bouncer
similar to the
one he delivered
at Lord’s last
week. The
Queenslander
tried to get
out of the way
but the ball
smashed into
the grille.1st over
Pat Cummins
strikes Rory
Burns on the
thumb second
ball. Burns
takes the
whack rather
than his hand
off the b at and
the blood fl ow s.
But after some
attention he
can continue.15th over
Shout for
leg-before ...
off the arm!
Denly ducks
into Cummins,
per Tendulkar
v McGrath in- Not out is
the call, Paine
deciding not to
go upstairs. It is
close too – only
four inches
from the bails.
11th over
An Archer-
esque bouncer
from Cummins
follows Joe
Denly and he
is hit right
on the front
of the helmet.
In keeping
with the
practice he
is given a
replacement
lid. Play on.England captain is
fi ghting for more
than just the Ashes
- and discovered the
attitude he needed,
writes Andy Bull