Gareth Bland |
Such is the nature of top-level sport that is perhaps typical, and predictable, that Joe Root’s overhauling of Sir Alastair Cook’s England record of Test centuries should lead to many commentators turning their focus toward the Yorkshireman’s supposed Achilles heel at Test level: his record against Australia. Specifically, where the doubters are concerned, is the Dore-born maestro’s record in Australia itself. An overall record of 40.46 against Australia over 34 Tests includes 14 matches Down Under where Root has yet to score a century and averages 35.68. Root’s record against the other established Test playing countries – India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and West Indies – is enviable, and statistical proof of his undoubted class.
The spotlight on Joe Root’s record against Australia is a natural byproduct of an intense Ashes rivalry. However, compared with the record of one of his fellow members of “The Big Four” club in Kane Williamson, the one relative blemish on Root’s track record seems less stark than it might otherwise appear.
The current appraisal of Root comes as part of the year-long sabre-rattling ahead of another Anglo-Australian clash, beginning in November 2025. Former Australian left-hander Darren Lehmann and – to no one’s surprise – Ian Chappell, a man seldom short of a cricketing opinion, have weighed in on Root. Lehmann has stated that Root should not be considered an all-time great since he has yet to make a Test ton in Australia and has even placed the Yorkshireman a rung below Williamson and Virat Kohli. Chapelli, meanwhile, is full of praise for the former England captain, saying “Root was born to make runs. He’s a joy to watch, as he balances a solid technique with the desire to core at every opportunity”.
Technically, though, Chappell has observed a flaw in the Root armoury which could account for his less flattering record on Australian pitches, arguing “the more worrying statistic in Australia is the number of times he’s caught behind. Keepers have had a bonanza as ten times they’ve clasped Root’s edges in 27 innings. While he could counter with “you’ve got to be good enough to nick ‘em”, it does suggest he needs to re-assess the extra bounce Australian pitches provide.”
Lack of centuries aside, it is worth noting that Root has notched nine half-centuries against the Australians. Compared with Kane Williamson, Root’s overall record against the Aussies is superior – 40.46 as opposed to an average of 36.95 for the New Zealander. Against India, Williamson’s record is considerably the inferior, with an average of 37.86 over 20 runs fewer than Root’s 58.03, while on a head-to-head against each other’s country Root has a mean of 54.06 as opposed to Williamson’s 39.62 against England.
Batting against South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, the Kiwi has the statistical edge over the Yorkshireman. However, an average of 62.82 for Williamson against South Africa and 46.53 for the Englishman against the same opposition does not exactly embarrass Root. Neither do direct comparisons against Pakistan (66.04 and 49.34), Sri Lanka (74.02 and 62.54), and West Indies (60.62 versus 56.03).
Where Williamson has a definite edge is in his accumulation of two Test hundreds against the Australians. As for Ian Chappell’s thoughts on Root’s adaptability to Australian surfaces, the New Zealander, by contrast, is acknowledged as having a very specific approach, quite distinct from his peers. Eschewing an exaggerated lunge in the forward push, Williamson’s initial movement is firm yet not as pronounced as his contemporaries. Equally key is the ability to play the ball late.
Ricky Ponting has observed that Williamson “doesn’t make a big stride forward” and that he “plays the ball later than anyone”. Former England captain Nasser Hussain, assessing Williamson’s technical prowess, noted the economy of movement, hand positioning and footwork that are the bedrock of his success. Advancing the theory of an imaginary “box” Hussain noted “imagine you’ve got a box round about your waist height and just below. If you get your hands outside that box you’re playing the ball early. If you can keep it in your box, you’re playing it late”.
Hands positioned outside the imaginary “box” would also, Hussain argued, increase the likelihood of following the ball outside the off stump and nicking a chance to ‘keeper and slips. Hussain was in little doubt that it is this compactness which has contributed to Kane Williamson’s success. Maybe a similar adjustment by Root on Australian wickets would pay dividends and give credence to Chappelli’s view that the England man needs to re-assess the bounce on those surfaces.
What will ultimately deliver that much sought after Ashes century for Joe Root is the method Ian Chappell so eulogised. It is a technique shaped by the modern age, but also one which begins from first principles and is a method which, at its core, is a product of the Yorkshire sod which produced some of the greatest batting technicians in the history of the game. When Neville Cardus described Sir Leonard Hutton as someone who played with a “blueprint in his mind” he could easily be describing Joe Root almost 70 years later.
Stylistically Root’s Yorkshire cricketing lineage is apparent in everything from the light grip on the bat handle to the legs-apart stance at the crease, while the balance on the balls of the feet is redolent of Sir Geoffrey Boycott himself. Alert, side-on, and able to transfer to the back and front foot with easy dexterity, Root displays a classicism that stretches back to Hutton and Sutcliffe, though to Boycott, Bill Athey, and now Harry Brook, a method which is so typical of his home county.
Watching footage of Mike Gatting’s England in Australia on their victorious 1986/87 tour, the likeness between Athey and Root is startling. Sure enough, Root’s gifts are of a rarified nature in contrast with Athey’s narrower mode of operation, but the essential Yorkshire boilerplate of stance, footwork, and positioning bears the stamp of the White Rose county.
Like Williamson Root’s busy nature at the crease and innovative strokeplay are indicative of a player who has grown up in a multi-format cricketing landscape. As such, the gasp-inducing classical strokes which were once so typical of Root’s English antecedents like Hammond, May, Cowdrey, Dexter, and Gower are perhaps not so evidently at the fore of his repertoire. Instead, tellingly, the Root audience will marvel at the deployment of the ramp and its reverse iteration, both strokes it is difficult to imagine his illustrious predecessors attempting, although the pioneering Dexter might well have added such shots to his range.
Joe Root is England’s finest modern player and a titan of the current batting landscape. The disparity between his overall record and his figures against Australia are certainly tangible, although not, say, as marked as Ian Botham’s record against West Indies and his achievements against the rest. If the Yorkshireman takes on board the observations of Ian Chappell next winter maybe his wait for a Test hundred against the old foe will come to an end. In the week that Root and fellow Yorkshireman Harry Brook sit atop the men’s ICC Test batting rankings, his followers will take heart that this modern batting great has still plenty left in the tank and, maybe, a bit to prove.
