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Joe Root (Image Source: Twitter)
England and New Zealand are currently going head to head in a three-match Test series. With England having won the first Test on the back of a spectacular century from former captain Joe Root, New Zealand would be looking to win the second.
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That, however, seems very unlikely as a resolute Joe Root stands in the way of the Kiwis. The former captain is in the form of his life at the moment, having hit consecutive centuries in both tests. His quality was laid bare to see for everyone at the start of Day four when the right-hand batter stunned everyone by reverse scooping Tim Southee for a six.
A quiet start to the morning in Nottingham...
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 13, 2022
Scorecard & Videos: https://t.co/GJPwJC59J7
🏴 #ENGvNZ 🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/Fjz96fl2SZ
The moment came at the beginning of Day four when Root was batting at 164. Having allowed England batters towards a huge total, New Zealand bowlers must have come prepared to knock down the English partnership, Joe Root however had a different plan of his own. Brimming with confidence the 31-year-old batter nonchalantly scooped a pacy Southee delivery for a six over third man boundary.
The crowd, commentators as well as the Kiwi players were stunned to see this type of batting approach early in the day. The right-hand batter is currently breaking records left right and centre in recent times. With a resolute century in the last game, Root became only the 14th player to breach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket. He also became the joint-fastest to go over the magical number with Alastair Cook.
His record-breaking exploits have continued into this match as well. With a first-innings score of 176 off 211 deliveries, the in-form batter surpassed two greats in Sunil Gavaskar and Younis Khan to become the 12th highest run-getter in Test cricket. The second Test match hangs slightly in England's favour. Having allowed only a lead of 238 runs to the Kiwis, the home side would be looking to end New Zealand's innings quickly and mount a challenge at the target on the last day.