Root relishes ‘fabulous’ win
ON SONG: The skipper leads England celebrations JOE ROOT led a sing-song as England claimed their first major overseas whitewash since 1963.
A Jack Leachinspired Three Lions hit all the right notes as they beat Sri Lanka by 42 runs in a tense finale to complete a 3-0 series triumph.
And captain Root immediately got his guitar out to celebrate with a tune.
“It has been a fabulous tour,” he said. “It’s been a complete squad effort.
“I said at the start that was going to have to be the case, whether it’s guys on their first tour in these conditions, or the senior players. I felt from the back end of the summer and that series against India that I was growing into the role of captain very nicely and doing things very differently – probably radically by some people’s views.
“The way we’ve gone about things here, having to drive that and seeing everyone really accept it and buy into it has filled me with a huge amount of confidence.”
England coach Trevor Bayliss said: “To come here and win 3-0 is beyond expectations. To clean sweep is a great effort.” NEWCASTLE ended their Monday hoodoo and moved further clear of the drop zone with a hard-fought win over Burnley.
The Toon had not won on a Monday night in 10 games and five years but a Ben Mee own-goal and a Ciaran Clark header were enought to see them home, Sam Vokes replying for the Clarets.