Joe Root's 30th Test hundred lit up England's 'Bazball' in the opening Ashes skirmishes and sidekick Jonny Bairstow warned: “He'll be after 25,000 runs and another 10 years in the game.”
On a thrilling curtain-raiser at Edgbaston, Root's brilliant, unbeaten 118 carried England to 393-8 before skipper Ben Stokes ' funky declaration left Australia's openers to negotiate 20 minutes before the close in the first Test.
And Bairstow, whose bullish, run-a-ball 78 helped Root lead the fightback from a perilous 176-5, said: “Joe's performances have been outstanding for such a long period of time.
“That's his 30th Test hundred, he's played 130-odd Test matches, averaged over 50 - predominantly in England – and he's been absolutely fantastic. It's taken a lot of skill, endeavour and patience, but the way he manipulated the strike and tempo was fantastic.
“We had to dig in and find a way to put pressure back on the opposition – some days it hasn't worked but today it did and you'd have taken 390-odd for eight after being 170-odd for five.
“It's really special because he's someone I've known for a long time, through thick and thin – we've experienced a lot of different things together – and it was an absolute pleasure to be out there with him.
“He's probably got another 10 years left in the game and he will be after 25,000 Test runs or something stupid like playing until he's 55.
“But he loves batting, he loves the big occasion and he loves representing his country.”
Bairstow's first Test innings since a serious ankle injury nine months ago was a revelation, but it was not indiscriminate and he said: “I don't think there was too much slogging. We want to be that team who hustle between the wickets.”
The declaration appeared to catch TV commentators and pundits on the hop, but Bairstow insisted: “Sometimes doing the unexpected is your best form of attack.
“I'm sure there are many decisions Ben has made that have taken commentators and other people by surprise, but it was no surprise to us.
“A 20-minute slot for any opening pair is not very nice and can be a bit niggly.”
Aussie pace bowler Josh Hazlewood admitted his first experience of England's Bazball approach was a “good, fun challenge – although we didn't get dragged into it too much.”
But he warned England would need to graft to bowl Australia out twice on a slow, sandpaper-coloured deck, adding: “Attacking batting brings a few more modes of dismissal into play.
“But if you bat normalluy, it's going to be difficult to take 20 wickets on that surface.”
