Joe Root Praises Gus Atkinson’s Batting in Second Test Against Sri Lanka
England batter Joe Root had special praise for Gus Atkinson after witnessing his stroke play on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.
Root, 33, looked flawless against Sri Lanka’s bowling and celebrated his record-levelling 33rd Test century. Apart from his own achievement, Root was impressed by Atkinson’s performance, comparing his style to South Africa’s iconic all-rounder Jacques Kallis.
Root said, “Yeah, it was good, it was nice. I’ll tell you why I was good watching Gussy bat at the end, being at the other end when he hit those straight sixes, they were unbelievable believers. It’s like watching someone like Jacques Kallis play. It was a great little innings from him, and there was some good partnerships along the way.”
Atkinson remained unbeaten with 74 runs at the end of the day after raising his bat for his maiden fifty. Despite Atkinson’s entertaining show, the headlines belonged to Root for his remarkable feat, equalling former England captain Alastair Cook’s record of 33 Test centuries.
Root spoke about his relationship with Cook, saying, “Yeah, it’s obviously nice, but it’s just, I guess you try, you pride yourself on trying to contribute and helping put the team in a winning position. We’ve had a few laughs and jokes about things, but Cookie’s always been someone for me to look up to, bounce ideas off, and talk to, and felt under pressure or things haven’t been going well, and he’s been very supportive and helpful, and it’s great to have people like that in and around you.”
England ended the day with a score of 358/7 and will look to put more runs on the board before Sri Lanka batters come out to bat.
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.
Gus Atkinson -: Gus Atkinson is a cricketer who plays for England. In this match, he did very well in batting.
Second Test -: A Test match is a long cricket game that can last up to five days. The ‘Second Test’ means it is the second game in a series of matches between two teams.
Sri Lanka -: Sri Lanka is a country in South Asia. It has a national cricket team that plays against other countries.
Lord’s -: Lord’s is a famous cricket ground in London, England. Many important cricket matches are played there.
33rd Test century -: A ‘Test century’ means scoring 100 or more runs in a single innings of a Test match. Joe Root scored his 33rd century, which means he has done this 33 times.
Alastair Cook -: Alastair Cook is a retired English cricketer who was very successful. Joe Root equaled his record of 33 Test centuries.
Jacques Kallis -: Jacques Kallis is a retired cricketer from South Africa. He is considered one of the best all-rounders in cricket history.
Unbeaten -: In cricket, ‘unbeaten’ means a batsman did not get out and is still playing when the team’s innings ends or the day ends.
358/7 -: This is a cricket score. It means the team has scored 358 runs and 7 of their players have gotten out.
