Joe Root Named Player of the Summer After England’s Series Win Against Sri Lanka
London [UK], September 9: England’s Joe Root expressed his joy after being named Player of the Summer following his team’s series win against Sri Lanka. Despite losing the third Test, Root highlighted the enjoyable moments of his career and the team’s continuous evolution.
Sri Lanka’s Victory in the Third Test
Sri Lanka secured an eight-wicket win in the third Test at The Oval, thanks to Pathum Nissanka’s century and a strong performance by their bowlers. This win marked Sri Lanka’s first victory in England in 10 years and the highest successful run chase by an Asian country in England.
Root’s Reflections
Root praised his team’s performance throughout the summer, especially the contributions from new players like Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Olly Stone, and Josh Hull. He emphasized the importance of constantly evolving and learning from different game conditions.
Root’s Stellar Performance
In the Test summer, Root scored 666 runs in six games against West Indies and Sri Lanka, with an average of 74.00, including three centuries and three fifties. He surpassed Alastair Cook’s record of 33 Test centuries, becoming England’s most successful batter in terms of centuries.
Third Test Highlights
England scored 325 in their first innings, with notable contributions from Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett. Sri Lanka responded with 263, thanks to a partnership between Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis. In England’s second innings, Jamie Smith’s half-century was the highlight as they were bowled out for 156, setting a target of 219 for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka chased down the target with ease, led by Nissanka’s unbeaten 127 and support from Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews.
Brief Scores
| England | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|
| 325 and 156 (Jamie Smith 67, Dan Lawrence 35, Lahiru Kumara 4/21) | 263 and 219/2 (Pathum Nissanka 127*, Kusal Mendis 39, Gus Atkinson 1/44) |
Doubts Revealed
Joe Root -: Joe Root is a famous cricketer from England. He is known for being one of the best batsmen in the world.
Player of the Summer -: Player of the Summer is an award given to the best cricket player during the summer season. It means Joe Root played very well in the matches.
England’s series win -: A series win means that England won most of the matches in a set of games played against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka -: Sri Lanka is a country in South Asia. It has a national cricket team that plays against other countries.
third Test -: A Test match is a long cricket game that can last up to five days. The third Test means it was the third game in the series.
Alastair Cook -: Alastair Cook is a retired English cricketer who used to hold the record for most runs in a series before Joe Root broke it.
Pathum Nissanka -: Pathum Nissanka is a cricketer from Sri Lanka. He played very well in the third Test and scored 127 runs without getting out.
unbeaten 127 -: Unbeaten 127 means Pathum Nissanka scored 127 runs and was not out when the game ended.