Joe Root hit 79 not out of 87 balls as England beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in the opening game of their ODI series; watch the second ODI between England and Sri Lanka at the Kia Oval starting at 12.30pm Thursday on Sky Sports Cricket.
Joe Root’s 79 unbeaten runs led England to victory in the first of three ODI series matches against Sri Lanka.
Joe Root remains firm in contention for a place in England’s lineup for the World T20 tournament later this year, according to limited captain Eoin Morgan.
Root produced a game-winning 79-not-out-of-87-ball knock for Morgan’s 50-plus side as they rebounded from a mid-order wobble to beat Sri Lanka by five wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the series. of three parties.
Although the test skipper did not participate in England’s 3-0 series T20I shutout of the Sri Lanka last week, Morgan confirmed that he is also in contention for his World Cup challenge in the shorter format of the play.
Root was England’s top run scorer in the last edition of the tournament five years ago, as well as reaching 54 in the final, which they lost to the West Indies.
“I think there are a lot of people who are (in contention) and Joe certainly can’t be ruled out,” Morgan said.
“The role he played in 2016, the runs he scored and the way he scored them also went a long way in getting us to the final. His hit in the final was outstanding as well.
“I think the circumstances of the last two years, given how busy the schedule is, but also the priority of the test matches, have not allowed Joe to play as much T20 as he would have liked.”
“But he is one of the best in the world in most situations and he showed his class. Even yesterday in practice it was remarkable how easy he found things.
“He just does the basics incredibly well and never seems to have a problem, even though the wicket could have been a bit of two steps. So it was a pleasure to see him see the team at home.”
Root, who made his 150th ODI appearance at Emirates Riverside, was needed to keep England’s innings together after they slid to 80-4 after an explosive 54 starting position between Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone.
The 30-year-old stabilized the boat, sharing a 91 fifth-ground partnership with Moeen Ali when England finally chased their modest 186 goal with more than 15 overs still unused.
Sky Sports insider Michael Atherton feels that Root’s current omission from England’s T20 squad reflects more the depth of talent available than any slight to his ability to succeed in that format.
“It’s not to say that he can’t play well in T20 or that he wouldn’t make a lot of other teams, it’s just that the strength of the competition for this England team in short form is immense,” Atherton said.
“He would like to play in all formats but, given his responsibility as captain of the test and if he is also going to play on the side of the 50 plus, where do you get your breaks as a player?
“In my opinion, it’s not a bad thing, the way he’s working out, but he wouldn’t agree with that!”
Watch the second one-day international game between England and Sri Lanka at the Kia Oval starting at 12.30pm. M., Thursday at Sky Sports Cricket.
