England top-order batsman Joe Root has a good head on his shoulders. However, with New Zealand’s loss against Pakistan in Edgbaston on Wednesday, it has also added to the miseries of the Three Lions. The Eoin Morgan-led side has nine points in seven games following an abysmal show against Sri Lanka and Australia.
In the meantime, England has faced criticism for their 64-run loss at the hands of Australia.
With a recent win from Men in Green, England need to win their remainder of the games against India and New Zealand – to bag 13 points in nine league stage matches.
On Wednesday, Kiwis has faced their first defeat of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2019 following a clinical show from Pakistan. Babar Azam slammed unbeaten 101, as Haris Sohail registered a fine half-century.
With the six-wicket win, Pakistan has made it to the sixth spot on World Cup standings. Pakistan chased down the target of 238 in 49.1 overs.
Well, Bangladesh has a better net run-rate to maintain their fifth spot on the ICC World Cup 2019 points table.
England facing heat at the ICC World Cup 2019:
In a do-or-die clash, England is set to face No. 1 ranked ICC’s ODI team India on June 30 in Birmingham.
Overall, England had faced their third defeat in seven matches which includes a 14-run loss against Pakistan before losing their game against Sri Lanka by 20 runs.
Despite the mounting pressure, the world-class batsman Root has asked his teammates to maintain a calm head as their semi-final road has already faced a jolt following back-to-back losses.
Root stated they’re the best unit in contemporary cricket.
“We have to stay calm. Look at the things we know will make us a better team. And will put us back to our best. We must trust that when we do that, we are the best team in the world,” Root told BBC.
The 28-year-old Root reiterated that things tend to change in a jiffy. Furthermore, he believes it’s high time for the England team to prove critic wrong by playing their brand of cricket.
Root is hopeful for England’s fortunes:
Besides, Root stated that if they end up on winning their remainder of the games, they will be in good stead in the knockout stage of the twelfth edition of the World Cup
“Things change very quickly in tournament cricket. It’s a great opportunity to prove a few people wrong and play in the way. We know we can against two strong opposition. If we win these last two games, you could argue that we’ll be in the best possible position when the semi-finals start,” Root concluded.
Concurrently, Root is the fourth highest run-getter of this World Cup edition. He has accumulated 432 runs in seven innings at an average of 72.