Root hailed as ‘rock’ after his England heroics
8-15fav Always close up on inside, not clear run from well over 1f out, pulled out 1f out, shaken up and quickened to lead well inside final furlong, cleverly, won at Lingfield 1m 2f Listed stks (1) pol beating Big Country by 3/4l, 8 ran. 6-1 In touch, headway entering final furlong, ridden and ran on to lead close home, won at Lingfield 1m 2f Listed stks (1) pol in Nov beating Big Country by nk, 9 ran.
2-1 Bumped start, held up in last, headway and hung left over 1f out, switched right but still hanging left inside final furlong, ran on well to lead towards finish, won at Wolverhampton 1m 1f stks (2) std beating Oh This Is Us by 1 1/2l, 5 ran. 5-1 Chased leader, pushed along to lead 1f out, ridden and headed well inside final furlong, no chance with winner, 2nd of 8, 3/4l behind Wissahickon at Lingfield 1m 2f Listed stks (1) pol.
5-1 Led, ridden and headed 1f out, no extra, 3rd of 8, 3l behind Wissahickon at Lingfield 1m 2f Listed stks (1) pol.
(19) R Hannon 6 9-12 (D4) ........... T Marquand — (19) T Dascombe 6 9-10 (BF, CD3)...... A Rawlinson 113 (47) Eve J-Houghton 7 9-3 (CD4) .............. G Dobie (7) 121
(21) D Elsworth 4 8-13 (D) ................ D Probert 101 (28) Archie Watson 7 8-8 (CD4) ..............L Morris 110
(28) S Dow 5 8-5 (CD2) ...Levi Williams (7) 112 (42) David Loughnane 5 8-2 (CD) .......................... ............................................................... Laura Coughlan (7) 108
9-2 Chased leaders, went 2nd over 1f out, led inside final furlong, headed towards finish, 2nd of 5, 1 1/2l behind Hathal at Wolverhampton 1m 1f stks (2) std. 13-8 Soon tracking leaders and keen, went 3rd over 2f out, stayed on into 2nd towards finish, no chance with winner, 2nd of 6, 2 3/4l behind Hathal at Wolverhampton 1m 1f cnd stks (4yo+) (2) in Jan. 7-4fav Led early, chased leader, ridden 3f out, lost place over 2f out, soon weakened, last of 5, 39l behind Hathal at Wolverhampton 1m 1f stks (2) std. 8-1 Broke well, led early, held up in touch on inside, switched right and pushed along over 2f out, hard ridden and kept on towards finish, 4th of 10, 1 3/4l behind Mr Scaramanga at Lingfield 1m hcp 0-95 (3) pol in Jan. ENGL AND captain Eoin Morgan toasted Jason Roy’s unflagging selfbelief – and hailed Yorkshire’s Joe Root as ‘our rock’ – after the pair’s brilliant centuries led England to a record-breaking win in the first oneday international against the West Indies.
Asked to complete the biggest chase in their history, 361, England’s fearless limited-overs side stared down the challenge and came out on top, triumphing by seven wickets with eight deliveries remaining.
Having watched 39-year-old Chris Gayle unload 12 sixes on his way to 135 in the first innings, Roy accepted the challenge with a 65-ball ton of his own to give the reply the adrenaline shot it needed.
The Surrey man finished with 123, with 15 boundaries and two maximums, having taken a healthy chunk out of the asking rate.
After he and Root shared a fine century stand the latter did the same again in partnership with Morgan, grinding the West Indies down with his ability to keep the scoreboard moving and release pressure.
Root fell just before the line, holing out for 102 with the scores tied, but his composure never flagged.
“For Jason to go on and play such a commanding innings really sets us up for such a big run chase,” said an admiring Morgan. “It’s amazing, the way he plays. To come out and show the courage he does and the trust that he does. It’s brilliant.
“People will forget Joe scored a hundred there too, he made it look very easy, but we’re so fortunate to have a guy like that who can be our rock. He’s no slouch.”
Jonny Bairstow played a minor role by comparison, first man down for 34, but Morgan highlighted an electric opening stand of 91 between him and Roy as a pivotal period.
Gayle, fresh from his 24th century in the format and newly installed as international cricket’s number one six-hitter (overtaking Shahid Afridi with his first of the day), is the obvious touchstone and Morgan was happy to draw comparisons.
“The manner we started set the tone of the innings, Jason and Jonny were outstanding,” said Morgan.
“They do show similar attributes to Chris, who’s been doing it for 20 years. That ability to put your best ball away for four or six is heartbreaking as a bowler.
“To have guys like that continuously putting pressure on your opening bowlers is not only difficult to play against but difficult to captain against as well.” Gayle, the self-styled ‘Universe Boss’, did his talking at the halfway stage of the game, while it still looked like his might be the decisive contribution of the day.
“I raised the West Indies flag a bit high since it’s my last home series (before retiring),” he said.
“It’s best to keep the Windies flag high and make sure everybody has a chance to see it. This is one of my best innings to be honest with you.
“It took me a while to get my first boundary, but at the same time, I stuck at it and eventually like in life, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
In the end it was England who finished strongest, taking a 1-0 lead.
People will forget Joe scored a hundred there, he made it look easy.
He’s no slouch