ICC World Cup 2019 | Joe Root happy to leave power-hitting to his imminent peers

ICC World Cup 2019 | Joe Root happy to leave power-hitting to his imminent peers

no photo

England’s top order batsman Joe Root has said that he was not satisfied with his attempt to play in a more aggressive manner in the recently concluded series against Pakistan. He said that he would rather let his compatriots do the power-hitting and himself focus on building the innings.

In a media event which saw England reveal its sky blue jersey, the first time they would be donning one of the colour since the 1992 edition in which they lost the final to Imran Khan’s Pakistan, Joe Root talked about his batting approach going into the World Cup.

“Personally, I was probably a little bit too experimental and trying to play in a manner that didn’t suit myself or the team,” said Root, who played all the four matches in England’s demolition of Pakistan.

With England having some of the most powerful hitters in the world they have been tipped by one and all to be the first to reach the 500 run landmark in an ODI innings and currently hold the record for the highest ever score of 481/6, achieved last year against Australia. Root, however, is of a different breed, and believes more in the orthodox form of batting, a quality which has brought him immense success in Tests.

“It was actually a very good reminder going into the tournament that on occasions I should rein it in a bit and not get too giddy when guys like Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy and Jos Buttler are flying at the other end,” he added.

Though he scored 203 runs in the 4 innings he played at an average of 50.75, Root was still not pleased and was convinced he could have made better decisions to score even more.

“The [paddle shot] doesn’t feel that risky. I think trying to hit the left-arm spinner Imad Wasim over mid-off five times in two games - and nearly get out four times to it - is a bit dumb really and it’s not what I’m about in that format,” Root explained.

Root is currently ranked fourth in the ODI rankings for batsmen and has over 6,500 runs in the 50 over format at an excellent average of 49.51. Root said that he knows where his strengths lie and he’ll try to make the most of them.

“My balance is knowing how to pace it and not feel like I’m leaving someone else too much to do. Or similarly not going too early and leaving the guys in a position where they have got to bat too long before they can give it a good clout at the end,” he concluded.

Get updates! Follow us on

Open all