Joe Root produced a vintage masterclass in Cardiff on Sunday, breaking an unbeaten 166 to guide England to the West Indies in the West Indies to take an unbeaten 166 to take a 2–0 lead in the three-match series. In a pursuit starting with disaster – England were reeling at 2 for 2, Openrs were standing 2 long after duck from Jamie Smith and Ben Docket. His 18th OD century came in his 168th presence, but more importantly, it jumped to Ion Morgan to become England’s all-time leading run-scorer in Odis. Root now stands as the first English batsman to break the 7,000 run mark in the format. England left the West Indies target with a target of 309 with seven balls, thank you to the calm chaos of the route. His innings was made on a major partnership-the 85-run stand with the Captain Harry Brook (47), and the later 143-run-six-wicket partnership with just 120 balls with Will Jack (49), which made the game away from visitors.
The West Indies, Edgbaston had a significant improvement with his heavy 238-rose defeat, first posted 308 runs, riding on KC Katy’s first century (103). He was supported by Skipper Shai Hope (78) and Brandon King (59), the three pushed visitors to 205 in a phase to 205. But England bowlers responded in style. Adil Rashid (4/63) and Saqib Mahmood (3/37) led the fightback, trigoring a collapse, which refused the West Indies overall overall.Quiz: Who is that IPL player? Despite an enthusiastic attempt by Alzari Joseph, who claimed 4 for 31 in 10-over spells, could not break the rhythm of the Windies route. Experienced number 3 was composed, clinical and unpublished – to reveal the kind of nature that England has long trusted him. The match also marked the victory of the first series under the captaincy of Harry Brook, leading to England a confidence in front of the last ODI on Tuesday. For the root, however, it was more than just another match – it was a statement. Quiet Yorkshirman, so often the unuser Nayak in England’s white ball machinery, now wears a crown as the country’s most vast ODI batsman.
