CARRY ON JOE, I LOVE YOUR FEISTY ATTITUDE
JOE ROOT has nothing to be embarrassed about over his ‘bat drop’ celebration after reaching the century that clinched the one-day series for England. We do not like it when our sportsmen show a lack of character and personality by talking in cliches or celebrating a landmark in the same conventional way. So why not have a cricket team and player who shows a bit of passion and emotion the way Root did at Headingley after reaching three figures and hitting the winning run with the same shot? Let’s put this into context. Joe was on his home ground and had made back-to-back unbeaten hundreds to go past Marcus Trescothick’s England record for one-day centuries and defeat India, one of the great teams. And he probably felt he had a point to prove after being left out of England’s Twenty20 team just three matches ago. Not least to Eoin Morgan, the white-ball captain at the other end who had left him out. I like to see celebrations that show a bit of attitude, whether it is Andrew Flintoff waving his shirt around in India and Sourav Ganguly doing the same in response at Lord’s. Or even me showing three fingers to the media centre when I was trying to prove a point about batting at three for England at Lord’s. Joe has always been a character. Look at the interview he did with Ian Ward for Sky after England won the Ashes. Does he need to feel embarrassed to be doing Bob Willis impressions with a mask on? We need to promote our game and Sky Sports News led their coverage yesterday with Root’s ‘bat drop’. That has to be better than just raising your bat. Joe Root did something different and I don’t admonish him for that at all.