Joe Root's audacious reverse-scoop affirms the tone for England's Ashes campaign
Joe Root's calculated risk pays off as he helps England to a commanding position in the first Ashes Test, with Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes providing support in a thrilling day four at Edgbaston.
Most of the time, I prefer Zig over Zag, but today is an exception; you must be Zag.
Pantomime villain Stuart Broad was put in an invidious position just before play started last night (or, yesterday, depending where you’re resting your noggin').
Long-time comrade-in-arms Joe Root sat next to Broad—as he does in most dressing rooms around the world—and offered some words that will ensure Root, Broad, and their team are forever remembered in Ashes lore.
“I fancy a reverse-scoop for six first ball.” So said Root, England’s solo centurion from the first innings.
One must remember that Root has yet to get off the mark at this point. And his understudy, Ollie Pope, is at a similar juncture; arguably England’s most important partnership stands at one run. that, courtesy of an extra.
18 or so hours earlier, Root was in all-out survival mode; batting became alarmingly problematic, so much so that he played the majority of his balls advancing down the once-dry pitch—which had become a burgeoning green-eyed monster.*
Root resembled a stunned boxer propping himself on the ropes with his opponent (Pat Cummins) circling with mortal intent. He hoped for the bell to sound and the sanctuary of a wooden stool, or, in this case, a dressing room sofa. (What an addition!) Umpire Marais Erasmus intervened, summoning the ground staff to cover up—something Root was trying to do earlier.
Fast forwards 18 hours, and Cummins was still circling, England teetered on the brink at 2–28, both not out batters were yet to score, and the Aussies were chock full of their breakfast Weet-Bix. Little did they know what Root had in mind. The rest is folklore.
Has one dot ball ever caused as much commotion as this?
With no third man positioned—was this a GO signal? Who cares? Australia started day four like they might wish they started day one: a strong slip cordon and infielders looking to trap Root on strike—at least for these three balls, anyway!
The ball was as metronomic as Cummins normally is: delivered mid crease, the angle favouring in towards the stumps, and a length that might challenge the bails. What you might expect? Cue Joe Root knew this: the only ball that could scupper his audacious plan was the ball that accounted for Pope later. Yorker.
Input: Will Cummins bowl a yorker first ball? Output: Highly unlikely, it’s green light Joe.
Root is right to calculate a mid-speed loosener from Pat Cummins, a ball likely intended for the safety of Alex Carey’s gloves, with no offense intended to anyone in particular; after all, most of the crowd is still locating their seats while balancing a pitcher of ale. "Quick Joe, do it; nobody’s watching!"
The ball itself is an anticlimax.
Root backed off the reverse-scoop early, making no contact; the trajectory was fourth or fifth stump line, and the length allowed the Duke ball safe passage through to Carey. No damage done, but plenty delivered—passive-aggressive on steroids.
England’s premier batter, Joe Root stood and smiled like a 17-year-old smartass. There was no showboating here, though. No way. By the end of the next over—bowled by Scott Boland—Root had played the reverse-scoop twice more for a maximum and a four. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Pat.
I sat in disbelief, like everyone else.
And then, thankfully, it took only one shot to bring me out of that stupor. It just needed a rewind to the second ball of the 11th over. Boland to Root:
A stock Boland delivery of probing length and meticulous line was met with a soft shoe shuffle that placed Root outside off stump and on top of the bounce. He might have punched to, or through, mid off, instead, Root let the ball come under his eyes and trapped a perfect clip wide of mid on.
It was aesthetically wondrous. I just wish I could have asked which shots had given him the most satisfaction during his curtailed stay—there’s a lot to be said for enjoying your own batting.
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Root was eventually dismissed for 46, with Nathan Lyon inducing a cow-corner mow that he will soon forget. Spin bowling to Root is like bangers (sausages) are to England’s batting coach, Marcus Trescothick: generally no problem with potatoes. It was merely an aberration; the earlier passages of play must have taken effect!
Circumspection infiltrated England’s later batting, which was a timely intermission. To his credit, Ben Stokes led this charge and prospered somewhat.
When Jimmy Anderson edged the ever-persistent Cummins behind, England found themselves with a lead of 281. Australia have it all to do.
Normal service resumes thereafter, with Usman Khawaja continuing on and David Warner finding his horizontal bat shots again. The pair took the visitors to 61 before Ollie Robinson scrambled a seam and feathered Warner’s edge. It seemed an unlikely breakthrough.
Thankfully, Marnus Labuschagne avoided the dreaded pair and proceeded to move his score briskly with three boundaries, but then, as he did in the first innings, the marauding Stuart Broad struck twice, removing Labuschagne and Steve Smith.
At stumps, Australia had stuttered to 3–107.
Australia has a lot to do from their position; Travis Head, Cameron Green, and Alex Carey would do well to have a dressing room pow-wow of their own and come up with some like-minded plans to chase down this total. 1–0 is a whole lot better than 0–1, and you can be sure there will be no 0–0.
Monday, though, belonged to Joe Root.
As always, thanks for being here.
