I believe it is more media hype than anything else really.

Yes he is no longer the India Cricket Captain. But who is?

Rohit Sharma? He has barely played any cricket since being announced India's all format captain.

KL Rahul? Where has he been?

Hardik Pandya? Surely a current favorite following his team's IPL triumph.

Rishabh Pant? Yes, they handed him the captaincy too!

Shikhar Dhawan? He has found it tough to find a place in India's first XI, but he too captained on a tour.

Ajinkya Rahane? He was Kohli's deputy some time ago, but now finds himself on the bench.

Jasprit Bumrah? He's leading in the current test against England, while the above mentioned (barring Pant) are absent.

That is 8 captains including Kohli in the last 1 year! Absurd.

Ok so Kohli is no longer captain and he is no longer the #1 ranked batsman either in ODIs, nor in T20Is.

But is he really finished?

There is no doubt that Kohli's performance has gone down several levels over the past two years.

The level he was at for almost a decade across formats is a level that no other batsman has ever been at. He will likely never be at that same level again.

But he is also not over and done with the way Indian journalists will have you believe.

Look at his performance in T20 Internationals over the past two and a half years. No one from India comes even close to his level of consistency.

He is a clear 5 runs ahead in average than the next best batsman; and a good 10 runs ahead of everyone else from India!

You can take a look at all batsmen in T20 Internationals, and you will realize that only Mohammad Rizwan and Jos Buttler average more than Kohli does in the format during this period.

In ODIs, his performance has dipped a bit more. He is averaging 20 runs less than his career average during this 2.5 year period, yet he is still the third highest run scorer for India in this time.

Yes, he hasn't scored any ODI hundreds during these 2.5 years, but no other Indian batsman has also scored as many fifties as Kohli has.

The fact that he has played more ODIs than any other Indian batsmen during this period goes to show his level of fitness, dedication, and commitment, which in my view is unmatchable.

The Sharmas and Rahuls are not even close, nor will they ever be, to what Kohli has done for Indian cricket, and continues to do. 

Test cricket is where the real problem is. Kohli's form in tests has really deteriorated over the past two years. His test average during this period is below 30 and for the first time in almost a decade his career test average has dipped below 50.

But has anyone taken a look at the other Indian batsmen around him?

Barring Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant, no India batsman averages above 40 in tests in the past 2.5 years. 

I guess playing and touring in bubbles has taken its toll on everyone, not only Kohli.

Yes, an average of 27 is not what you expect from a world class batsman like Kohli, but don't only target him when talking about failures. Talk about the entire Indian brittle batting line up, which is being constantly saved by the likes of Pant and Jadeja.

There is also this hype about 120 odd innings across formats without scoring a 100.

What a heap of bullshit!

What 120 innings?

Leave aside the T20 format where no one scores 100s consistently (unless you are Jos Buttler), the last time Kohli scored a 100 in an ODI was 21 innings ago, and the last time he did it in tests was 32 innings ago.

Yes 52 innings / 2 years is a long time to go without scoring a century, especially when you are Virat Kohli who the world saw knock a century every other day. But Kohli is not alone.

Steve Smith hasn't scored a 100 in a while. It has been quite some time for Kane Williamson too. I don't see the media down under shredding them to pieces!

Kohli has been a champion batsman for way too long, and in white ball cricket he still is. He definitely does not deserve the criticism coming his way at the moment.

So what if Babar Azam is currently better than him in ODIs and T20Is? So what if Joe Root is now scoring like the run machine Kohli once was in Tests? So what if Kohli is no longer captaining India?

He is still one of the best in the business. Definitely the fittest batsman in world cricket. And more dedicated and committed than any other cricketer you will find in India.

Kohli may no longer be King, but he still is a Champion!

Rightly so, given their numbers.

Each one of these 4 great batsmen made their test debut between 2010 and 2012; they have played over 70 tests each, and scored more than 6,000 runs.

In the past decade, 2010-19, they were undoubtedly the best test batsmen around.

In the past 2 years however, two other batsmen have emerged who have posed a challenge to the world renowned Fab 4.

Babar Azam and Marnus Labuschagne!

Babar made his Test debut in 2016 and has played 27 tests including the current ongoing one against England.

While Labuschagne made his Test debut in 2018 and has played only 16 tests.

Both had a slow start to their test careers; but their last 12 months have been simply phenomenal!

Babar's last few test scores read: 

104 in Brisbane

97 in Adelaide

102* in Rawalpindi

60 and 100* in Karachi

143 in Rawalpindi

69 in Manchester

While Marnus has absolutely smashed it with scores of:

185 in Brisbane

162 in Adelaide

143 and 50 at Perth

63 and 19 in Melbourne

215 and 59 in Sydney

Those are quite some numbers.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that these two have displaced Kane Williamson and Joe Root, whose fortunes have dwindled in recent times, from the Fab 4.

Take a look at Test batsmen with the highest averages since the start of 2018.

It is quite evident who the Fab 4 are based on performance over the past 32 months.

It is also quite clear that Babar Azam is leading the pack with the highest average during this period. Only Kohli has more test centuries than Babar in this period and no one has more test 50s.

Sure both Babar and Labuschagne have a long way to go in their careers, but the way they have been batting in recent times, there is no doubt that both will go on to become greats of the game.

For now, lets just know that there is a new Fab 4 in the cricketing world.

England have been on an imperious march to the World Cup since their failure in the competition four years ago in Australia and New Zealand.

The Three Lions were humiliated, failing to reach the knockout stage of the tournament. Eoin Morgan’s men played a brand of tepid cricket that put them well behind their rivals at the top of the sport. Their failure proved to be a watershed moment for England in one-day cricket and inspired a revolution in their style, which has made them the front runners for the World Cup.

Over the last three years, Morgan’s men won nine bilateral series in a row before their surge was ended against the West Indies in a draw in the Caribbean. In their run, they defeated Australia home and away, New Zealand and Sri Lanka on the road, along with a narrow 2-1 victory over India last summer. The Three Lions are a machine in the 50-over format, boasting the best batting unit in the world, while Adil Rashid has developed into one of the leading spin bowlers in the world.

England have few weaknesses, although the most glaring of them were exposed in their series against the West Indies. Their batsmen have been on song for 90 percent of the time since the last World Cup, but they have still displayed a propensity to stage dramatic collapses. Their defeat to Pakistan in the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy was a case and point, while further meltdowns against Sri Lanka last year and the West Indies in the final match of the series.

England’s ability to mount huge totals has been their biggest strength since the last World Cup. It results from their aggressive style of play that has seen them break the world record for the highest ODI total twice, coming within 19 runs of being the first team to post 500 last year against Australia. However, the same attitude can also result in rare failures. It only takes one of those days to halt their charge at the World Cup.

Although Joe Root does not boast the same striking ability as the rest of his team-mates in the line-up, he could be the Three Lions’ most important player in the tournament. He plays the anchor role to perfection, allowing the rest of the unit to tee off around him.  Root displayed that ability with back-to-back centuries against India in 2018, and it’s the reason why backing him to lead the way at the tournament with the most runs would be one of the best betting tips available, especially in familiar conditions in England.

Mark Wood's double-strike gives England an opening#WIvENG https://t.co/VDBuNIYUog pic.twitter.com/R4V8lJdJOs

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 27, 2019

The Three Lions have also been exposed at times in their bowling ranks. Without James Anderson and Stuart Broad in the 50-over game, England lack a world-class seam option. Chris Woakes has had his moments, although, on other occasions, he has been cannon fodder. In the Caribbean, Chris Gayle took him to task with ease and there are other openers that are also capable.


Mark Wood proved his worth in the ODI series against the Windies. He could be England’s ace card in the World Cup, highlighted by his match-winning spell of 4-60 to stop Gayle and company chasing down 418 in the fourth ODI. Wood has the raw pace to trouble the leading batsmen in world cricket. Paired with Rashid, it provides Morgan with a dangerous one-two punch to turn a match on its head. It will still take a complete effort from England to clinch their first World Cup crown, but they have star men that can put blemishes on their few weaknesses heading into the tournament.

A baptism of fire is almost guaranteed for any new captain who is overseeing his first Ashes series as the man in charge. The microscope focus is intense and both sets of fans and pundits unforgiving when the going gets tough. At 2-0 down in the series, it is safe to say the going will be getting close to unbearable for Root with his decision at the toss in Adelaide being crucified.

"Australia v England (2nd Test, Adelaide" (CC BY 2.0) by mertie.

Mistakes are there to be made and are all part of the learning curve a captain must experience on the journey to becoming a hardened leader. In this particular instance, it may cost England the Ashes as the win in Adelaide gave Australia a 2-0 lead as they head on to the WACA for the third test.

The last time England won at this historic ground was 1978 and they have lost their last seven tests against Australia there. A win for Steve Smith’s men here and they will take an unassailable lead and recapture the Ashes. It doesn't bear thinking about for Joe Root and he desperately needs to find a way to inspire his troops as they look to complete mission impossible.

"1st day, 3rd Test, AUS v RSA" (CC BY 2.0) by www.davidmolloyphotography.com

From whatever angle you look at it, it is hard to see England winning the next three tests. As it stands, they are 4/1 to win at the WACA but that may change as the game goes on should Root and his troops deliver an inspired performance against Australia; tipping and betting sites such as sportsbet.io will keep punters up to date with ongoing proceedings in Perth as England aim to fly out the traps and defy history.

There is a lot on the line for the young Root during the remainder of the season. It won’t be the end of the road for his captaincy even if they lose 5-0. There will be a lot of scrutiny going forward but he will live to see another day. If he turns this around then his future as England captain will be secure for as long as he plays the game.

In Joe Root's career, there won’t be many bigger tests of his captaincy than the one in front of him. All eyes will be on Root to see if he strengthens or withers. 

With 4,968 runs in 60 Test matches, Azhar Ali will soon become the 8th batsman from Pakistan to score 5,000 Test runs. Misbah Ul Haq was the last entry into this club during the recently concluded series against the West Indies.

Since his debut in the summer of 2010, Azhar Ali has risen to become one of Pakistan's key test batsmen.

He has scored runs in all conditions, has been a mainstay at number 3 for Pakistan, and in more recent times has been one of Pakistan's most effective Test openers ever.

Since his debut, Azhar Ali is Pakistan's leading run scorer in Tests. He out scored Younis Khan and Misbah Ul Haq during this period; the two great pillars of Pakistan's test team.

Among all Test batsmen during this period, Azhar Ali has the 5th highest runs tally. And third highest among openers, behind only Alastair Cook and David Warner. In terms of his Test average, Azhar is at par with both Cook and Warner.

Given this, it quite surprises me that there is no mention of Azhar Ali when the world's best - Joe Root, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli - are talked about.

That could very possibly be because of his lack of success in other formats of the game. Rather, not the same level of success he has had in Test cricket.

No doubt Azhar Ali's batting suits Test cricket more, but his ODI record is also quite neat.

For majority of his career thus far, Azhar Ali batted at number 3 for Pakistan; however over the past two seasons he has been opening. It in this position, where he has truly blossomed into a world class performer.

His record as an opener for Pakistan in Tests is unparalleled. In fact, it is one of the best records for an opener in Test cricket.

Azhar's current Test average as an opener is the 6th highest average among all batsmen who have opened in at least 20 innings in Tests in the history of the game.

There is no one in that table from this era, besides Matthew Hayden. All those other batsmen played cricket a long long time ago.

Azhar has had a phenomenal two years as an opener in Test cricket, better than any opener has had for Pakistan ever. He might end up moving back to number 3 now that Younis and Misbah have retired, but I would really be tempted to make him keep opening for the rest of his career, given his unprecedented record so far.

Whether number 3 or opener though, I have no doubt that Azhar Ali is among the best in the world right now and he will end is career as a Test great and quite possibly as only the second batsman from Pakistan to cross 10,000 Test runs.

I have very good memories from my time in Manchester. Really amazing ones. However, this past week in Manchester is something I would like to wipe out from memory.

It was a disaster.

After the euphoria of the win at Lords, Pakistan turned out with the worst performance in tests in a very long time. To put it into perspective, England's win at Old Trafford was their 5th largest victory in tests in terms of runs, and their 2nd largest against Pakistan!

After 6 wins and a draw in 7 tests against England, Pakistan finally succumbed to a defeat.

The biggest reason, in my opinion, for this change in fortunes was the toss. In the past 7 tests that resulted in 6 wins for Pakistan, they had batted first in all tests except one.

Despite losing the toss, I did not think that Pakistan would be defeated this badly.

If anyone had told me that England would beat Pakistan at Old Trafford, I would not have placed my money on them given how they had played against Pakistan's attack in the previous 7 tests.

England's batting line up in this test series is quite weak. Their middle order is nonexistent and Bairstow is not the same against this Pakistan attack as he was against Sri Lanka.

England's batting line up starts with Alastair Cook and ends with Joe Root, who Pakistan were able to tame at Lord's.

However at Old Trafford it was different ball game. Root was a man on a mission and he played one of the best test innings I have seen in a long time.

Root's innings was all about learning from past mistakes, application, determination, and dominance.

It was a true blue test classic.

Root's match aggregate of 335 was only 97 runs less than what Pakistan's 22 batsmen collectively scored at Old Trafford.

Pakistan's batting has always been vulnerable, however this test team has been different. Azhar, Younis, Misbah, Asad, and Sarfraz have been more consistent than any Pakistan number 3-7 in the past. For them to struggle across two innings has been rare. Yet, one can still fathom their failure because we have been accustomed to it.

What is quite unfathomable is how toothless Yasir Shah and the rest of Pakistan's attack were at Old Trafford. Yasir had just accomplished a rare feat at Lord's and climbed to the top of bowling rankings, but Root brought him back down to earth - from number 1 to number 5 in the rankings - that is how poor a test match Yasir had.

This Pakistan team though is not one to fall without a fight.

Two remaining tests promise to be thrilling ones. With the series level, there is everything to play for. Pakistan's batsman will have to rise to the challenge. Misbah and Asad require more support from the likes of Hafeez, Azhar, and Younis, who despite starts have been unable to convert their scores into big ones. They are all due and there won't be better opportunities than at Edgbaston and the Oval.

The first test between Pakistan and England at Lord's started with England as firm favorites; the odds said 4.25 on Pakistan and 1.75 on England.

At the end of day 1, the odds were still in favor of England despite a memorable hundred by the Pakistan captain and a decent score on the board by Pakistan; Pakistan 3.75, England 1.50.

On the second morning of the test, Pakistan lost their last 4 wickets very quickly. They lost their last 6 wickets for the addition of only 57 runs. Pakistan should have got more than 339; they were certainly poised to get further, however they have a long tail and Chris Woakes made sure that they don't even get to 350, a number Misbah had spoken about a day earlier.

At this time, the odds were still in favor of England; Pakistan 4.00, England 1.50.

You can take a look at the odds of this cricket match and other cricket matches by picking a site from Gamblingsites.net.

Pakistan got an early breakthrough in England's first innings, but then for the next 2 hours it was the Cook-Root show. Their partnership threatened to take the game away from Pakistan in very quick time with Pakistan's fielders further helping their cause.

They put on 110 runs in only 25 overs before Root had a brain freeze and slogged one right up in the air. The fielder this time helped his own team.

While Cook and Root were running rampant, the odds moved more in favor of England; Pakistan 4.33, England 1.33.

England firm favorites.

Root's wicket however changed the proceedings and Yasir Shah ripped through England's middle order. No other batsman managed to dominate the innings and Pakistan looked right on top at the end of the second day with England trailing by 86 runs with 3 wickets remaining.

At this stage one would think that the odds would have moved in Pakistan's favor. But that was not the case as day 2 ended with Pakistan 2.40, England 1.90.

The bookmakers really think highly of England despite seeing what Yasir Shah has done to them; and this was only the first innings. Just imagine what Yasir will do in the 4th innings in more helpful conditions.

Surely Pakistan are favorites at this stage.

Any lead in the first innings will be a bonus. All those runs that Pakistan score in the second innings will pile on the pressure on England.

I reckon a target of 300 will be well defendable by this Pakistan attack.

Yet the bookmakers are still favoring England.

Surely they must know something we dont!

Soon after England secured the Ashes to seal their decade long dominance over Australia at home, they were met with some more positive news.

Joe Root was the new world number 1 ranked test batsman, overtaking AB De Villiers.

Root has been magnificent for England in both limited overs and tests since his debut about two and a half years ago. So much so, that he is now not only England's most reliable batsman but among the best in the world.

We have seen a number of great batsmen in test cricket. Each decade has provided us with some of the game's greats like Border, Gavaskar, Miandad, and Richards in the 80s; Waugh, Sachin, Lara, and Inzamam in the 90s, Ponting, Dravid, Sangakkara, and Kallis during the first decade of the new century; and also Younis Khan, De Villiers, Amla, Clarke, Cook, and KP over the past decade.

Similarly, the past 5 years has seen the rise of a new generation of batsmen.

Like Joe Root for England, there have been a few others who have emerged to become their team's most reliable batsmen in the recent few years.

There has been Virat Kohli for India, Steven Smith for Australia, Azhar Ali for Pakistan, Kane Williamson for New Zealand, and Angelo Matthews for Sri Lanka.

Each one of them has performed at an exceptional level in international cricket and has fast become the mainstay of their respective batting line up. Their success has also been recognized with all of them, barring Root, captaining their national side in at least one format (Kane Williamson as a stand in).

There is no doubt in my mind that these are the next set of batting greats that will shine for the next 7-10 years in test cricket. These are the names that will dominate batting charts going forward.

But who among them is the best out of the lot?

Like Border and Gavaskar, Sachin and Lara, Ponting and Kallis, and Sangakkara and Younis were the best during their respective decades, which two out of the current lot are the best right now?

Here's a look at some numbers.

(For the purpose of this analysis, only those batsmen who have played at least 30 tests and made their debut since July 2009 have been assessed)

Leading Averages

It is no surprise that each one of the above mentioned batsmen are among those with the current highest test averages, with Root and Smith right at the top.


Most Frequent Century Makers

Four of these batsmen have scored at least 10 test centuries already, but no one scores them more often than Virat Kohli who scores a ton after every 5 innings or so.


Biggest Match Winners

The most prominent sign of great test batsmen is how often they produce match winnings knocks. Most batsmen can score a lot of runs, but scoring meaningful runs that help win matches is what makes these batsmen great.

Warner and Azhar have been involved in most test wins among these batsmen; both of them are the leading run scorers in test wins as well; Root, Smith, and Williamson have exceptional averages in test wins; while Warner and Smith have the most centuries in test wins.


If it doesn't get better for India, Kohli would well become the Tendulkar of his generation. Lots of runs and centuries, but not enough match winning ones.

Best Away from Home

Everyone knows that it is much easier to bat at home than in foreign conditions. In this regard, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq must be given a lot more credit than the other batsmen considering that they have not played a single test at home.

Having said that, here's how these batsmen perform in foreign locations.

Foreign locations have been determined as outside Indian subcontinent and UAE for Azhar, Asad, Kohli, Matthews; outside Australia and South Africa for Warner and Smith; outside England and New Zealand for Root, Williamson and Watling; outside West Indies for Bravo.


Only Bravo and Root average above 50 in foreign conditions; while Kohli's and Williamson's century hitting ability in foreign conditions is exceptional. Bravo's is a rare case; he averages more away from home than he does at home, and 5 of his 6 test centuries have also come away from home.

The rest of the batsmen seem to have decent records away from home, except for Warner, Azhar, and Asad - while away. they are not even half the batsmen that they are at home.

While all these batsmen are special in their own way, there are only two names that are repeatedly at the top of the pile in the tables above.

Joe Root and Steven Smith.

They have the best average among these batsmen, they score test centuries as frequently as the greats did, they are the leading performers in test match wins, and they have outstanding away records.

The other 8 batsmen have a lot of catching up to do.

Warner, Azhar, and Asad need to significantly improve their away records, while Kohli has to put in more match winning performances. Williamson is not far behind Root and Smith, however to be considered one of the greats he needs to push his average closer to that 50 mark; same goes for Bravo and Watling. As for Mathews; he has established himself as the premier Sri Lankan batsman following the retirements of Sangakkara and Jayawardene. However, to be one of the greats he needs more test centuries and improved performances outside the subcontinent.

While Root and Smith are ahead of the rest right now, all these batsmen are 30 or under, which means their best years are still ahead of them.

There is a lot more for all of them to achieve. With the kind of start they have had to their test careers, they are well placed to reach even greater heights to be considered among the best in the world to ever play the game.

England were magnificent as they cruised to a 169-run victory over tourists Australia with a full day's play in hand. New head coach Trevor Bayliss was in charge of his first Ashes Test match and will be ecstatic at his side's performance after dominating Australia on both sides of the ball. The match, which took place at Cardiff's SWALEC Stadium, was comfortable for England and has instantly dismissed any suggestions that Australia would earn their second successive Ashes series whitewash.

Joe Root was instrumental for the hosts, scoring 134 runs in the first innings, 60 in the second and taking two wickets as Australia desperately looked to stay in the contest. England haven't lost an Ashes series on home soil since 2001 and have made the perfect start in the latest edition of the game's greatest rivalry. At the time of writing, England are priced at evens with betfair to go on and lift the Ashes this summer and if they can maintain such high intensity, they will stand a great chance. We've recapped the main events throughout play and consider the key performances that secured a maiden victory for Australian-born Bayliss as England's head coach.

England won the toss and captain Alistair Cook elected to bat but the hosts didn't get off to a great start. Yorkshire's Adam Lyth, playing in his first Ashes Test match, was out after scoring just six runs. In no time, Cook and the struggling Ian Bell had also lost their wickets and England were teetering on 43-3. However, Gary Ballance and the in-form Root dug deep to start a spirited fightback. Root, who was dropped by Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin on 0, went on to score 134 off 166 balls. Ballance, meanwhile, scored a respectable 61 off 149 balls as England began to establish an impressive target. The runs didn't stop there as Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali both scored half centuries.

Stokes knocked two sixes on his way to 52 and the latter scored a quick-fire 77 off just 88 balls. Mitchell Starc, who was the pick of the Australian bowlers, removed both batsmen and finished with figures of 5-114, but not before the hosts had been bowled out for an impressive 430. The 153-run partnership between Ballance and Root was vital for the hosts at a time when they were struggling to cope with Australia's quick bowling attack. Without their contribution, the result of this Test match could have been very different.



Australia got off to a good start as Chris Rogers and David Warner set about chasing England's first innings total of 430. At 52-0, the tourists were cruising before Jimmy Anderson dismissed Warner. Useful scores from Steve Smith and Rogers, who was dismissed in the 'Nervous Nineties', saw Australia reach 180-3 but the visitors capitulated from there. Michael Clarke fell for 38 after an incredible catch off his own bowling from Moeen, before Ben Stokes picked up his first wicket of the series to dismiss Adam Voges.

At 258-5, Australia were still in a reasonable position and, with the likes of Shane Watson, Nathan Lyon and Haddin still to bat, they will have been quietly confident of posting a decent total. However, Watson - who failed once again when his nation needed him the most - and Lyon were bowled out in quick succession and suddenly the score was 265-7, with Australia still 165 runs behind. Haddin threatened a mini revival but England's bowlers got the job done and dismissed the Australian tail-enders without much trouble. After posting 308 in reply, the tourists were still 122 behind the hosts and England were very much in the ascendency. Jimmy Anderson, pictured below, took three wickets for 43 runs from his 18.5 overs.


With rain expected on day five, England continued to attack Australia's bowlers on day three in their second innings as they looked to set a lofty total for the tourists to chase. Cook was disappointing again as he fell for just 20 runs before Ballance was dismissed on 0 to leave England stuttering at 22-2. Lyth contributed 37 before his wicket fell and it was once again left to Root to revitalise the innings. The Yorkshire batsman hit 60, as did Ian Bell, to improve England's score up to 207-5. The hosts were playing some scintillating cricket and taking the Australian bowlers on but something had to give... and it did.

Spin bowler Nathan Lyon began to enjoy himself as the pitch started to succumb to turn on the surface. The New South Wales star took four wickets for 47 runs from his 20.1 overs, claiming the big-name scalps of Lyth, Jos Buttler, Stuart Broad and Anderson. Meanwhile, the dangerous Mitchell Johnson - who tore England to shreds throughout the previous Ashes series - bowled over 200 balls before claiming his opening wicket of the series. The hosts lost their last five wickets for just 82 runs to set the visitors 412 to win. That is a total that would be the third highest successful run chase in Test cricket history.

Can Australia score 412, the third highest run chase of all-time, to win the first Ashes Test? #FSNYes or #FSNNo pic.twitter.com/XEqPld4QXd

— FOX SPORTS News (@FOXSportsNews) July 10, 2015

Faced with an incredibly difficult run chase of 412, Australia set off slowly but made a steady start as Warner found his form with the bat. However, they lost opening batsmen Rogers off the bowling of Broad. Warner continued to score runs and, at one stage, there were whispers of a surprise Australia victory. However, Moeen trapped Warner for lbw and the tourists lost all momentum. Wickets quickly began to fall and, when Smith was bowled out for 33, Australia looked down and out.

Captain Clarke managed to score just four runs before his wicket fell - a key moment in the clash. From there, Australia were a beaten side and lost the next six wickets for 136 runs. Moeen and Root dismissed the dangerous pairing of Haddin and Johnson before Moeen, who teased Australia's bowlers throughout the entirety of the innings, claimed the wicket of Hazelwood to send the home fans into raptures. After their second innings capitulation, there could be a plethora of changes in the Australian side with Watson's place under severe threat. The dismissal was his 29th lbw dismissal of his career and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see him lose his place in the side. For England, however, it was the stuff of dreams and they will look to build on this success at Lord’s.

Very rarely do I write about something not related to Pakistan cricket. But certain matches, cricketers, and cricket related activities are so exceptional that I need to write about them.

Joe Root is one such cricketer who has compelled me to find out more about him and dedicate some time in praising his exceptional start in international cricket.

Three months ago, I had not even heard of Joe Root.

I first heard about him when England announced their test squad for India. According to the England selectors, Root's double century in a game against Hampshire was enough to earn him a place in the squad.

Even though the 2012 domestic season was not all that productive, Root, who plays for Yorkshire, had impressed several people that mattered in 2011 when he amassed over a 1,000 first class runs.

Considering that the England middle order boasted of Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, and there were thoughts of using Samit Patel at number 6 in India, Joe Root was unlikely to make his international debut in India.

But he got his chance in the 4th and final test of the series when the experiment with Samit Patel had failed and England gave the boy a game ahead of Morgan and Bairstow.

Joe Root's first test innings lasted 229 deliveries - the 6th longest debut innings by an England batsman in terms of number of balls. He scored a patient 73 and shared a century partnership with Matt Prior for the 6th wicket to get England out of a troubling position of 139-5.

Even then I didn't take much notice even though such display of patience, that too by a 22 year old, is very impressive.

Then came the ODI series against India, and Root played all 5 matches. He didn't get to bat in the first ODI, but in his first 4 ODI innings he produced scores of 36, 39, 57*, and 31.




























Quite a start to an international career.

That innings of 57 was particularly impressive as he helped England to a total beyond 250, which they didn't look like achieving when he walked to the crease and England were 140 odd after 37 overs. His innings came off only 45 deliveries and included 8 boundaries and a six.

Root's success at the international level was so astonishing that it even surprised their ODI coach, Ashley Giles who went on record to say "I didn't know he could bat as well as he has".

That says more about Root's performances than Giles' knowledge of England's cricketers.

Just like a courier delivery service, Joe Root has been packing away all the bowlers he has come across thus far in his short international career.

Root has continued to impress with every game. In the 1st ODI of the ongoing series against New Zealand he scored a solid 56 while putting on 90 runs with Trott for the 3rd wicket.

And then came today when Root produced the best innings of his short ODI career. Chasing an imposing 270 to win in the 2nd ODI against New Zealand, England were well placed at 149-2 in 32 overs when Root walked out to bat.

From that position, the match could have been a close contest, England could have struggled to reach the target, or England could have even collapsed.

But Root's unbeaten innings of 79 off only 56 deliveries took England to a comfortable 8 wicket win with over 2 overs to spare. Root knocked 7 boundaries and 2 sixes in his highest ODI score yet.

Root now has a tally of just under 300 ODI runs in 6 innings and is averaging a whopping 74.5!

I know its too early in his career and that he has a long way to go and he's only 22 and what not. But that is an exceptional start to what can also be an exceptional career.

It is quite unbelievable that Root's lowest completed international innings is 31 and that his 8 international innings have produce scores of 73, 20*, 36, 39, 57*, 31, 56, and 79*.

I doubt there was anyone out there who knew how good a batsman Joe Root was given that he averages less than 40 in first class cricket and 36 in List A cricket.

His ODI average is double his List A average! And 3 out of his 7 List A 50s have come in ODIs.

Root has been some find for England and considering that he has showed his batting skills in varying conditions in India and New Zealand, it looks like he has a long career ahead of him.