ROOT TON PUTS ENGLAND AHEAD
ASHES Young batsman hits brilliant 134 after Australia let him off on nought
England, after winning the toss, were 343 for seven at the close of the first day of the first Ashes Test against Australia at Sophia Gardens on Wednesday.
Moeen Ali was 26 not out and Stuart Broad unbeaten on nought after Joe Root’s 134 and fifties from Gary Ballance and Ben Stokes helped England recover from 43 for three.
Root and Ballance swung the advantage back to England thanks to their 153-run partnership. The in-form Root scored his eighth century, the fastest in Ashes. Root was dropped off the second ball he faced, trying to jam a Mitchell Starc delivery but edging behind, where Brad Haddin gloved the ball but couldn’t hold it in his dive.
Root made Australia rue the miss, just as he did two years ago at Lord’s, where Haddin missed a chance when Root was on 8 and the Englishman scored 180 in helping England win the Test and double their Ashes lead.
This time, Root’s formidable form has allowed him to fearlessly take the attack to Australia.
He’s the world’s leading runscorer in Tests since May last year, averaging 82 with four centuries in a dozen Tests. He has almost 1,300 runs for England in all formats this year. The ball comes to him the size of a balloon, and he’s spreading it around to all parts.
He quickly overhauled Ballance, they took the score to 88 at lunch, and they looked serene on a so-so pitch in the afternoon, against some good bowling.
Root, on 33 at lunch, brought up his 50 off 56 balls, and survived an lbw review by the Australians on 62. He also appeared to offer a bat-pad chance on 79, but the ball looped just out of reach of Steve Smith at short leg.
By tea, he was on 93 off 110 balls. Every one of his dozen boundaries was met with R-o-oo-t by the capacity crowd.
Root’s free-flowing mindset was aided by Ballance’s grittiness and determination to not give away his wicket cheaply.