Former captain Joe Root gave successor Ben Stokes the perfect start to his reign by carrying England to victory with a match-winning century in the first Test against New Zealand on Sunday.
Root, who resigned as skipper in April after five years and a record 64 games in charge, produced a decisive knock of 115 not out to set up a five-wicket win at Lord’s.
In an ice cool partnership with Ben Foakes, who made an unbeaten 32 in a stand of 120, Root shepherded his side to a stiff chase of 277 with his first ever fourth-innings hundred.
A rejuvenated Joe Root admitted his reign as England captain had descended into “an unhealthy relationship”, forcing his decision to resign earlier this year.
The experiences of being the front man of the team during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a 4-0 Ashes humbling and defeat in the West Indies, left him drained and he finally decided to pass the baton on to his vice-captain Ben Stokes.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
“It had become a very unhealthy relationship to be honest, the captaincy and me,” he said.
“It started to really take a bad toll on my own personal health. I couldn’t leave it at the ground anymore, it was coming home.
“It wasn’t fair on my family, on people close to me and it wasn’t fair on myself either.
“I had thrown everything at it and I was determined to help turn this team around but I realised over that time at home that it would have to be in a different way.
“I’m very excited to do that now and to do everything I can to help Ben really turn this team around and make this team the force it should and can be.
“I’m proud of the way I did the role. I’ll do anything I can to help England win Test matches and be a side people enjoy watching and can be proud of.
“It got to the stage where it was time for someone else to lead that but I can try and influence it in a different role, in a different way.
“I threw absolutely everything at the role and I’m proud of the way that I tried to do that.”
In the victory over NZ, Root became just the second Englishman to reach 10,000 Test runs – following in the footsteps of his own predecessor Sir Alastair Cook.
The symmetry of their achievements does not end there, with both men exactly 31 years and 157 days when they crossed the threshold.
(Photo by Morgan Hancock/Action Plus via Getty Images)
It was Root’s 26th ton in total, the same as West Indian great Sir Garfield Sobers, but he will be even more satisfied by its importance to the team.
England were marginal favourites on resuming at 5-216, with 61 runs still needed, but the equation still looked a taxing one.
With thick, grey clouds overhead and the floodlights glaring from ball one, conditions were far from ideal for batting.
A fragile tail, featuring at least three natural number 11s, also cranked up the responsibility on the overnight pairing of Root and Foakes.
But a game that has see-sawed back and forth with a series of twists along the way was put to bed in unusually serene fashion.
New Zealand had hoped to hang in and use the second new ball to work some magic, but they could not halt England’s scoring and did not even get to unwrap a fresh Dukes.
Root started the 77th over on 98 runs in the innings and 9998 in his career and pinged paceman Tim Southee to mid-wicket for a couple to bring up a proud double.
He then finished the job in a blaze of glory, taking Southee for three boundaries in an over as he wrapped things up with a merry swing through mid-wicket.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Root, named player of the match, claimed winning meant more to him than his century or passing the milestone of 10,000 Test runs.
“Obviously it feels fantastic. More than anything, first of all, for us to have won this Test match after such a long time is the greatest feeling of all,” he said.
“Hopefully we can really use this as a way to leap forward as a group.
“I absolutely love the group of players that we play with and I couldn’t wish for a better person to be leading this team.”
Stokes was pleased with the way England’s summer and his captaincy had begun.
“It was a great Test match. It always seems to be for England v New Zealand at Lord’s, but it was a fantastic Test match to be part of,” said the all-rounder, who contributed to the run chase with 54.
“Regardless of being captain, the first Test match of the summer has always got a buzz about it, but obviously it was a special week. To come away with the win obviously makes it even better.”
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
I’m convinced that Monty Python would not have been as funny utilising German. That's all about being German mate. There's a reason there's no direct translation in the German language for 'stand up comedian'. Love the German lilt in Afrikaans. Results in such a perfect language to give orders and make your ears bleed.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
Ah, the ‘my great, great, great grandfather may or may not have told my great, great grandmother something’ school of history.
Redcap
Roar Guru
If I could follow Rowdy on this forum, I would. :happy:
CW Moss
Roar Rookie
These cricket threads are a bit more wide-ranging than the Rugby Section I was restricting myself to. :happy:
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
I don’t disagree with that . Some conservative areas I am still referred to as an Engelsman or the more derogatory “ Soutpiel” based solely on the grounds that English is my home language yet the fact that I’ve never been to England , speak fluent Afrikaans and my family have settled here for over 200 years means nothing . Those communities don’t want to let go of the past purely because they define themselves by the victim mentality . 1974 I quitely supported The British Lions for those exact reasons . Spent a large part of our lives as an English community being reminded that we aren’t real South Africans . That happens today as well but from a different sector which for political expediency nurture the rhetoric that we aren’t real Africans either .
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I have a Pome as a good friend. He was aghast at England's Germanic heritage. He first found it hard to take that: 1) the the Angles and Saxons were Germanic 2) that Old English is in fact a major Germanic language. 3) that the Latin influence came via the French, courtesy of the original Billy the Kid, and not the prior Roman occupation. And made English the stupid but endearing Language that it is. I'm convinced that Monty Python would not have been as funny utilising German. 4) that Churchill's, JFK, MLK, Neil Armstrong's famous speeches are based primarily on Germanic words; not Latin words. Something PJK & Howard knew intrinsically and that Beazley & Rudd didn't. If you want the masses, use English words that are from OE and not Middle or Modern English. 5) that the current lineage of royalty are German from King George the 1st. "Saxe-Coburg und Gotha" is the Royal Haus they hail from. The first 2 could only speak German with only smatterings of rudimentary level English, the 3rd could speak both but was nutz. 6) that the most traditional fairytales are of Northern European in origin. 7) it is no coincidence that the most common surnames in Germany (Schmidt), Netherlands ( Smit), England, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand is Smith. Not coincidentally it is associated with that of the craftsman. Note the power that Germany, England and the USA have wielded because of the capability. 8) controversially they are the origins of the Blonde, Red haired and the Blue eyed people. Every other people's are Black haired and Brown eyed. Not a dogma but a fact! :shocked: 9) in the USA's current population more people can trace German heritage than that of the English, Irish, Poles or Italians. Look where the Germans settled in the USA and you'll see the base of their now fading Industrial (Manufacturing) might and where they are most Agriculturally productive. 10) every Anglo Saxon Country has a major German influence (Queensland and SA in Australia. Queensland has more German ethnicity than does SA) He's now quite convinced as he's investigated these things himself and is now learning German as a result of this. You'd know this of your country's heritage. The German's and the Nederlander's influence in South Africa!
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
You must let me know which of the empire building nations (and there have been a lot of them over the centuries) behaved well in their conquests and occupations? And what the statute of limitations looks like in this regard? Safe to say we've all got over the Italians?
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
Probably says a lot more about them than they will ever realise
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I wanted her to cast a spell on me. All my stoner friends ribbed me about me channel surfing music shows so l could see her again. I'm pretty convinced I'm her #1 Aussie fan. I'm going to the Brisbane edition of "Kate Bush Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever" on her birthday, July 30, where I'll dance in a red dress re-enacting her choreography. With hundreds of women :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Presumably Wellington.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Yeah but when you're 5 years old and they play Wuthering Heights on Rage and you think she's a witch, that's just cruel and unusual.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
A measureless hope of a found probatsman herpaps?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
She's not bad but the width, length and depth of Kate's vast catalogue transcends genres. The only woman to have Top 5 album in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s and will in the 20s I'm sure. And in every one of those decades she was the only woman to have a Top 20 single in those decades plus now #2 on Spotify currently ------ And the first woman to write and sing her own song to a Worldwide #1 in 1978. ------- I'm not a fan but she made a huge mistake in not marrying me.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Oh that's good. High five, Rowdy
Ouch
Roar Rookie
I'll see you a Kate Bush and raise you a PJ Harvey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A29BMj3v86w
Ouch
Roar Rookie
Kiwis and Aussies are united in our distaste of the poms Um, no. Generally the English are pretty cool. Some d#ckheads but so are many Aussies
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Then there was Limeys Brittanicus
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Sorry, l had a typo, it should've read "Limes", not Lines. More fully known as "Limes Germanicus" a fortification separating the Teutons and the Romans. Teutons so called by the Romans and literally means Tall, Blonde ones
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
They were agog at the clock analogue near the synagogue waiting for the singing budgie minogogue
Kailash
Roar Rookie
Mate, sa has worst record against spin as bad as England. So, is Australia against spin&pace. If you are a world class bowler, you will take wickets against all sides. As for jamieson, when he got those wickets against india, he was newcomer in the side. So, now i think india will play better against Jamieson .