Root joins the greats...
THE morning after the night before had not robbed Eoin Morgan of the glow of victory. Even with India playing Pakistan at Eden Gardens, much of the talk at the World Twenty20 centred on England’s successful pursuit of 230 to beat South Africa in Mumbai — and the brilliance of Joe Root.
Root had spoken with characteristic modesty on Friday night about his 83 from 44 balls, but Morgan — grateful that his team retains an interest in the competition going into Wednesday’s game against Afghanistan in Delhi — was less inclined to hold back.
‘It was very special,’ said England’s captain. ‘Probably the best innings, chasing, I’ve ever seen. It says a lot, considering the players we’ve had in the past, and players I’ve played with. It was class, absolute class.’
Morgan’s memory was sharp enough to recall that Root had made his Twenty20 international debut at the same Wankhede Stadium in December 2012. Morgan himself had hit the last ball for a straight six to seal victory over India and Root was not needed when batting at No 7.
‘The turnaround in the player from then to now is quite phenomenal,’ said Morgan. ‘Other players might be quite one-dimensional in looking to get off strike or get a four, but he’s looking for any scoring option. And it seems to be always low-risk.
‘He does hit sixes, he does hit fours, but it never seems to be a big issue. And the way he shifted the pressure was brilliant to watch.’
Root’s innings reignited a debate that grows harder to resolve with every bilateral series and global tournament. Is he the best all-format batsman in the world? And, if not, then who is?
Morgan told the BBC that his teammate was ‘the most complete batsman we’ve ever had’, which was hard to argue with.
Root’s Test average of nearly 55 is England’s seventh highest and the highest since Ken Barrington retired in 1968. His one-day figure of 44 has been bettered only by Jonathan Trott, and his combined Twenty20 stats (an average of nearly 40 and a strikerate of 140) are unsurpassed.
Among non-English contemporaries, Root’s competition comes from Steve Smith (Australia), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Virat Kohli (India) and AB de Villiers (South Africa). A case could also be made for Hashim Amla, whose 31-ball 58 on Friday night was quickly forgotten.
Amla was generous in his praise after Root had decided the game. ‘The way he controlled the innings and accelerated towards the end, while always keeping the run-rate below the initial rate, made it a special innings,’ he said.
Whether Root can truly be said to have risen above the rest is a different matter. Smith’s Test average of 60 leaves the others in his wake, as does De Villiers’s 50-over record. And Kohli’s Twenty20 average of 53, following his superb unbeaten half-century to see off Pakistan in Kolkata yesterday, is phenomenal.
But Root is high up the list, whichever way you slice and dice the stats. And, perhaps more than any of the others, he does not vary his approach too dramatically depending on the format. For that, his captain is thankful. ‘It gives a huge amount of confidence to us knowing that he can go out and play the way he does without changing a great deal,’ said Morgan.
The slower surface at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla will provide Root with a different challenge. And if he can help England see off Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, they will almost certainly reach a first World Twenty20 semi-final since 2010.