In a batting performance as dominant as England’s against Ireland at Lord’s, and in a team devouring various scoring records, one milestone slightly slipped under the radar. On day two, as Joe Root clipped Curtis Campher into the leg side for an easy single on the stroke of tea, he became the 11th cricketer in history – and just the second Englishman – to reach 11,000 Test runs.
The relative value of runs versus wickets is perhaps why such staging posts often differ by way of fanfare. If Jimmy Anderson adds 15 more to his 685 Test pelts this summer – or perhaps even overtakes Shane Warne’s 708 – expect a fair amount of bunting to come out. But it is still worth noting Root’s rarified company, with Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 15,921 at the summit and Allan Border, in 10th place on 11,174, an Australian great who could well be overtaken during this upcoming Ashes series.
Aged 32 and with 11,004 runs, Root is young enough for a crack at Alastair Cook’s England record of 12,472 (fifth place overall), and possibly the very top. But he is also shrewd enough not to lob any grenades before taking on the Aussies. Ollie Robinson has spoken of dishing out “a good hiding”, and Stuart Broad has had his red pen out, but Root was keeping his cool after the 10-wicket victory over Ireland. “I try not to get too involved in that,” he said. “I feel like it can come back and bite you on the arse.”
Instead, Root’s advice to the likes of Ben Duckett and Harry Brook is not to “over-egg” their first taste of Ashes cricket; to know that the spotlight will be brightest, that national interest will swell in a way that trumps all other cricket, but also very little changes in the moment. “It’s the same game,” he said. “As soon as the bowler lets go of it, it’s you against the ball. Just go and play as you’ve been playing for the last 12 months.”
Ben Stokes will hope Root does the same in what will be a first Ashes back in the ranks since centuries in Cardiff and Nottingham set up a 3-1 victory in 2015 and after which he was named player of the series. The right-hander was not exactly light on runs at the end of his captaincy but has compiled 1,115 at 62 under Stokes, with the biggest shift being a strike-rate that has jumped from 54 as captain to 75 since.
Steve Smith will again be Root’s opposite number – his superior by way of Test average, 59.8 to 50.24 – and it’s fair to say the pair have had different buildups. Knowing he would likely warm a bench at the Indian Premier League, the Australian pulled out of the auction, signed for Sussex, and faced 254 balls for 122 runs in three County Championship matches before the World Test Championship final this week.
Root did the opposite, opting out of Yorkshire duties for two months and not exactly for the cash or time in the middle, his £100,000 deal at Rajasthan Royals a fraction of his typical annual earnings (even less after deductions) and facing 15 balls in his solitary innings. It means the 90 minutes spent compiling 56 against Ireland on Friday will be his only proper outing in the middle between that remarkable match in Wellington in February – where he scored 248 runs and was dismissed only once – and the looming reunion with Pat Cummins and co.
But Root was content to work on his game in the nets, rub shoulders with a couple of retired members of the 11,000-plus club at the tournament and reacquaint himself with India before the World Cup later this year. His chief justification is one that may raise eyebrows, however, and says something about how the modern elite player thinks.
Root said: “For me, playing a handful of Championship games … Championship cricket is the bedrock of our domestic game and I am not trying to bag it with what I say here. I am not saying it’s not important or a good standard. [But] for where I am in my career, am I going to learn more about myself in that environment?
“Am I really going to be prepared better for an Ashes series facing lower-pace bowling on some nibbly wickets, when hopefully we will play on good pitches against high pace and a high-quality spinner? I don’t think so.
“By going to the IPL, learning and experiencing something new, discussing the game with some of the greats, like Kumar Sangakkara [12,400 Test runs and team director at the Royals] and Brian Lara [11,953 Test runs and coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad], I thought that not just for the Ashes, but the rest of the year, it would set me up best. I feel ready, I have another week’s prep and some time together as a squad.”
This will involve some time on the golf course and a team bonding camp in Scotland before the players report to Edgbaston and three days of training before the first ball on 16 June. “If you’re successful in Ashes cricket it can set you up for life really, not just the rest of your career but beyond it,” Root said. “It’s an opportunity make history.”
