England captain Joe Root has insisted he is unfazed by his recent run of low scores, emphasizing his lengthy track record of Test match successes.
The veteran batter, who holds the record for the most Test runs scored by an England player, has managed to pass fifty only twice this summer. His current average of 29.44 marks his second-lowest return during a home campaign across his 14-year international career.
The 35-year-old has been dismissed leg-before wicket (LBW) nine times in his last seven Test appearances, including seven occasions throughout this domestic season.
However, Root has pointed to the challenging conditions faced by batsmen against the moving ball in England this summer, alongside his own stellar career achievements. Only Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar has amassed more Test runs than Root’s tally of 14,208.
“I’ve played this game a long time and I’ve always found ways of solving those problems and working it through,” Root told the BBC’s Today at the Test programme. “I don’t see this as being any different.”
“There’s a reason why I’ve got 14,000 runs and a reason why I’ve played the best part of 15 years at this level.”
“Of course it’s frustrating that there’s sort of a trend. There are probably four umpires’ calls within that, which could have gone the other way, and the ball is probably deviating more than it ever has.”
“You try and be realistic and understand where everything’s at, but also be aware of what you need to do to keep improving and keep getting better. I’m pretty sure I’ll get through the other side. I’m not too concerned about that.”
Last year, former Australian opener David Warner criticized Root’s potential ahead of the Ashes series, suggesting: “He will have to take the surfboard off his front leg.”
At the time, Warner’s claim regarding Root’s vulnerability to LBW decisions proved inaccurate. During a run that commenced in August 2022 and concluded with the Boxing Day Ashes Test, Root was given out LBW to seam bowlers only three times.
Nevertheless, Root’s recent struggles against LBW dismissals began when he fell to Australia’s Jhye Richardson during the second innings of the Melbourne Test. Since then, he has been dismissed in this manner nine times across 12 innings, exclusively to fast bowlers.
Root’s specific vulnerability has been against right-arm bowlers pitching the ball outside off stump, utilizing late movement back towards his pads.
Notably, none of his nine LBW dismissals in this sequence have come from genuinely fast bowlers; instead, they have been inflicted by bowlers operating at speeds around 84mph.
“You’re never given anything in this game,” Root stated. “You have to work for everything. You have to keep working hard and I’ll certainly keep doing that.”
“You’re constantly going to get challenged and you’re constantly going to have to look to evolve and learn, but that’s never been something I’ve shied away from and I certainly won’t be doing moving forward.”
Beyond highlighting difficult playing conditions, Root suggested that batting has been complicated by what he perceives as changes in the manufacturing process employed by ball suppliers Dukes.
“The balls have been different this summer,” he commented. “I think there is a different lacquer. They were worried about it going out of shape. They are denting surfaces more.”
When approached by the BBC, Dukes refuted any modifications to their production process.
Root received public backing from former England captain Michael Vaughan, who stated: “He’s always overcome problems and I’m pretty sure he’ll overcome this one.”
“It is an issue because it’s happening on a regular basis, but he’s had issues in the past that he’s managed to come back from. There’s no question he’ll be fine in time.”
