England batting superstar Joe Root has achieved a stunning double with the bat and ball in the Ashes. The right-handed batsman is not really known for his bowling exploits but is more than a handy bowler.
He proved it once again on Wednesday (June 28) when England were firmly on the backfoot on day one of the ongoing second Ashes Test against Australia at the Lord’s. England’s pacers failed to capitalise on the bowler-friendly conditions as Australia got off to a good start.
Usman Khawaja and David Warner added 73 runs for the first wicket before Josh Tongue dismissed both of them in quick succession. It was followed by a 102-run stand between Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne before Ollie Robinson dismissed the latter for 47.
The breakthrough, however, did not bring any respite for the home side as Travis Head and Smith dominated the proceedings with the bat. Head was batting aggressively and raced away to his fifty off just 48 balls while Smith was not very far behind either.
Joe Root’s incredible Ashes double:
With the pacers failing to break the stand between Head and Smith, England captain Ben Stokes threw the ball to Joe Root and the latter did not take long to justify the faith shown in him. After being hit for a few boundaries by the Australia batsmen, the former England skipper had Head stumped for 77. And just a couple of balls later, he dismissed Cameron Green for duck to help his side claw their way back into the game.
And the twin wickets have helped Joe Root enter a special club, a club which had only two members and the last member played an Ashes Test way back in 1947. Joe Root has become just the third player to achieve the double of 2000 runs and 20 wickets in the Ashes. Only Warwick Armstrong and Wally Hammond had achieved the feat so far.
List of players with 2000 runs and 20 wickets in Ashes:
Warwick Armstrong (2172, 74)
Wally Hammond (2852, 36)
Joe Root (2180, 20)