Joe Root column: Cardiff was special but England want Lord's perfection
Batsman on Cook's moment of hurt and Ed Sheeran at Wembley...
Thursday 16 July 2015 10:02, UK
In his second exclusive column for Sky Sports, Joe Root discusses quiet Australia, Ed Sheeran and why Lord's is a place like no other...
Australia weren’t chirping away in the field as much as I possibly expected in Cardiff, though that might change this week and I fully expect it to get a bit spicy and feisty in the series.
Cardiff was incredibly special for us and now everyone is looking forward to going again at Lord’s.
You could say we put in a complete performance at the SSE SWALEC but we are always striving for perfection and so there are still little areas we want to tweak and improve.
That said, as far as Test wins go it was right up there.
The atmosphere was amazing with the crowd right on top of us – it gave us a huge lift and it really felt like we had a 12th man most of the time.
As you saw, we signed lots of autographs afterwards as well – it is our way of giving back to the fans who travel a long way to watch us and cheer us on.
We’re at the Home of Cricket this week, a place that is really special and where there is a completely different vibe than at every other Test ground.
Let’s hope we can get off to a really good start.
I was delighted to continue my form with a hundred in Cardiff and am just focused on playing the game situation whenever I get to the crease.
Where I bat in the side is irrelevant, I’m there to suit the team’s needs best, and thankfully it is working quite well at the moment.
It was nice to get a bowl as well last week – it’s something I really enjoy but I can’t say it was particularly enjoyable when Mitchell Johnson smacked me for 17 in my first over!
We were in a position where runs weren’t really an issue, though, so I could encourage guys to take me on and I managed to get a couple of nicks.
The Ashes - Live
It certainly didn’t feel to us that Australia bowled badly – they made a fantastic start on the first morning to get us three down and I thought Josh Hazlewood was very impressive.
Ever since he has got into the team he has looked pretty comfortable and so it will be interesting to see how he goes throughout the series.
I know people – including me – had a laugh when Alastair Cook took one where it hurts in Cardiff.
It is the most painful feeling in the world to be hit down there but when it’s someone else you can’t help but giggle and I was caught on camera doing it.
The captain wasn’t best pleased when he saw my reaction but I’m sure there will a point down the line where it happens to me and he will be wetting himself with laughter!
The extra day off after the first Test gave me a chance to spend some time with my girlfriend and her family which was lovely.
We also somehow managed to get last-minute tickets to see Ed Sheeran at Wembley. I may have got a little too involved in one or two of the tracks…
I played some golf at The Grove with Adam Lyth and Stuart Broad, too – it wasn’t particularly good golf and I spent most of the time hacking it round as I came a firm third.
But I’d rather lose at golf than at cricket and hopefully it will be a good omen ahead of Lord’s.
Watch The Ashes live on Sky Sports, with continued coverage of the series on Sky Sports Ashes HD. You can watch individual days with a NOW TV Sports Day Pass, while our Ashes Events Centre - the best of Sky Cricket's analysis at your fingertips - is available on our iPad app.
