Who said what - Top 4 expert reactions to Joe Root's 33rd Test century ft. Michael Vaughan
Former England skipper Joe Root continued his sensational run of form, scoring a breathtaking 143 off 206 balls in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's. The Yorkshire batter struck 18 boundaries and scored at a rate of almost 70.
Asked to bat first by Sri Lanka, the hosts were in a spot of bother after losing the top three batters for 82 runs. Root's arrival saw England take control of the game and stage a comeback. He added 47 runs alongside Harry Brook who failed to convert the start. The veteran batter shared another 62-run stand with Jamie Smith to help England get near the 300-run mark.
Root then added another 92 runs with Gus Atkinson to put his side in the ascendancy. In the process, he also reached his hundred - 33th Test century and equaled Alastair Cook's record for most centuries by an English batter.
Joe Root is also seventh in the list of all-time run-scorers in red-ball cricket with 12,274 runs. He is now approximately 3650 runs short of going past all-time leading scorer Sachin Tendulkar (15,921).
Root's clinical display at the home of cricket earned him plaudits from all around the globe. On that note, let's take a look at five top expert reactions to Joe Root's 33rd Test hundred.
#1 David Lloyd
Cricket expert David Lloyd believes Joe Root is well in line to go past Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 15,921 Test runs. He also hailed Root's ability to balance his time on and off the game.
"Joe Root is the epitome of balance. When I say that, I mean that he’s got a really good balance to life away from cricket," Lloyd wrote in his Daily Mail column. "He keeps very level-headed and that’s a good lesson for any young player who takes their bat to bed."
"Root will go down as the player with the most Test hundreds for England but knowing him, he’ll be eyeing up Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 51 centuries. At this rate, he needs about four more years. Remember, he’s only 33. Crack on, Joe!" he added.
#2 Michael Vaughan
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan hailed Root as the country's finest batter across all formats and also a role model for many youngsters.
Taking to social media platform Instagram, Vaughan wrote:
"So good to see @root66 equal Sir Alastair today on 33 Test tons … many more to come .. he really is Englands finest all format Batter .. great role model for the game and I hope all young players try and play like him .. @homeofcricket."
#3 Derek Pringle
Former England cricketer Derek Pringle also lauded Root for his ability to resist good line and length on a sloppy Lord's wicket.
"Thank goodness for Joe Root - one of the few able to resist a bit of line and length, which is about the extent of the trickery offered by Sri Lanka’s bowlers on the Lord’s slope…" Pringle wrote on X.
#4 Nasser Hussain
Another former English skipper Nasser Hussain showered praise on Joe Root soon after the latter reached the three-figure mark.
Speaking on air, Hussain said:
"Yet another hundred for Joe Root. He equals Alastair Cook at the top of the three for England. We are witnessing greatness in front of our eyes. We have been for over a decade. What a player he is."