England batsman Joe Root pleased to post second Ashes century
Sunday 12 July 2015 07:29, UK
Man of the match Joe Root felt his century in the opening Ashes Test victory over Australia was the best of his seven to date for England.
Root scored 134 in his opening knock in Cardiff before adding another 60 runs in the second to help England secure a 169-run win and secure first blood over their old rivals in the five-match series.
The Yorkshire batsman rode his luck at times, with Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin dropping him second ball before he had got off the mark, while Mitchell Starc also tested him early on, but Root believes his decision to go after the bowlers was justified.
Root already had an Ashes century to his name after scoring 180 in the Lord’s Test two years ago but he feels the context in which his latest came to help England hit the ground running makes it even more special.
“Everyone is quite vulnerable early on in their innings and thankfully I managed to just get through that,” Root told Sky Sports Ashes HD.
“I had quite a lot of luck, a few inside edges that didn’t hit the stumps. You just have to try and ride the wave when that sort of thing happens to you and try and make the most of it.
“When they attack I feel it is the best time to attack them as well because that’s when the gaps are about. That’s when are you going to get the opportunities to score, when they strive for wickets.
“More importantly, I have always had someone at the other end to build a partnership with.
“I thought the way Gary (Ballance) played (in the first innings) was exceptional and Ben (Stokes) as well.”
A battling 1-1 drawn Test series with New Zealand earlier in the summer was followed by a 3-2 win over the Kiwis in the ODIs, with England showcasing a swashbuckling style of play after falling flat at the World Cup.
Root is convinced that momentum has carried over into the Ashes and he hopes they can also take it into the second Test at Lord’s, which gets underway on Thursday.
“I think it started against New Zealand in the Test series, the way we went about things was really positive,” he added.
“That obviously carried through to the one-day series and when you have got guys in both sides, it is going to carry over.
“First up in an Ashes series you want to make sure you put a marker down and it’s great to get that win. Hopefully we can now back that up at Lord’s.”
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