Lord’s Test: Joe Root’s double milestone secures victory for England in opening game against New Zealand
India Today
Joe Root became the 14th batter in Test cricket to notch 10,000 Test runs. He also joined Alastair Cook among the Englishmen in the elite list.
England, on Sunday, June 5, defeated New Zealand by five wickets in the opening Test at the Lord’s Cricket Ground and took a crucial 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
At the start of play on the fourth day, the game was even-stevens as the Brits needed around 60 runs to win with five wickets in hand. Joe Root, their former skipper, and one of their prolific run-scorers was well set on 38.
It was evident that the Black Caps needed to remove the Yorkshireman to have any chance of winning the game. But Root made sure that he didn’t allow the visitors to get a foothold back into the match.
After the hosts lost their first five wickets for 159 while chasing 277, Kane Williamson and Co. would have fancied their chances of getting over the line, but Root nullified their chances of a win.
The right-hander scored his 26th Test century off 157 balls and took the Three Lions to victory in the first session of the fourth day’s play. Moreover, when he got to his century, he also became the 14th batter to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket.
ROOOOOOOOOOT!!A very special innings from a very special cricketer#ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/FW3CUTtocV
