Joe Root’s reverse scoop against Pat Cummins on the brink of nineties was a microcosm of the fearless brand of cricket England are playing at the moment. Conventional wisdom suggests biding time when your team is seven down, but Root threw caution to the wind, bringing out an unorthodox stroke that he has employed with much success in the recent past.
England are on course for posting 400 runs on the first day of the Edgbaston Test match, something you don’t hear too often. Their attacking approach is what has got them there, but since you live by the sword and die by the sword, it has also what cost them wickets at regular intervals.
Jonny Bairstow, who dished out a run-a-ball 78 on return, and Moeen Ali both fell trying to keep their foot on the pedal. Root on the other hand is looking set for a hundred, and the eventual team score could be in excess of 400 if the tail can hang around.