VIDEO | Joe Root falls to Windies’ trap as Alzarri Joseph’s booming outswinger sends former packing

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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There are few better sights as a bowling team than seeing the opposition batsman fall to a trap set by you and today at Old Trafford, the Windies toyed with Joe Root’s frailty outside off-stump. A big, booming Alzarri Joseph outswinger saw Root fall right into the trap and nick one to second slip.

As has always been the case in his last thirty-odd Test matches, Joe Root walked in to bat with his side in a precarious position - 29/2, to be precise - but despite having missed the first Test, the English skipper looked fluent and energetic from his very first ball. He was keen to be positive and he did ensure that his side were not bogged down by the Windies pacers. 

But whilst he was at it, there was also a seemingly glaring and evident flaw that peeped out every now and then. Root was seen overly-keen on driving any full ball marginally outside off and he was, for a vast majority of his first 30-odd balls, flirting with danger. He, in fact, almost nicked one to the slip cordon on just his 10th ball, but thankfully for him, the ball fell short of the fielder. 

Being the brainy and world-class cricketers they are, the Windies bowlers were quick to notice this frailty in Root’s game and decided to exploit it. They bowled full and wide, trying to take the ball away from the English skipper for the vast majority of the innings, inviting him to drive. And their wicket plan finally paid off, in almost picture-perfect fashion, when they introduced right-armer Alzarri Joseph into the attack in the 32nd over. 

Introduced into the attack in place of Shannon Gabriel, Joseph bowled a tempting outswinger on the first ball of the 32nd over, which he followed up with an extremely inviting big, booming outswinger on the second. Unaware of Windies’ masterplan, Root’s eyes lit up and he threw his hands at the juicy delivery, but to the English skipper’s dismay, the ball flew straight into the hands of his counterpart Jason Holder at second slip, who made no mistake in taking the catch cleanly. 

After playing the shot, Root was livid with himself, for he realized what he’d just done, while in stark contrast, the Windies were in uncontrollable joy, having just seen their plan work to perfection. 

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