The rot started with Root. It happened just five overs into the day on the third morning at a sun soaked Niranjan Shah Cricket Stadium. The moment that made bleary-eyed England fans who had set their Saturday morning alarms with the promise of more high-octane Stokesian shenanigans groan into their muesli. In fact, it was probably still too early for sustenance. At 4.22am UK time, a little before 10am locally, Joe Root – the prince of modern English batting – hopped impishly in his crease and attempted a reverse scoop to Jasprit Bumrah.
You’ll likely know the shot, you probably giggled with glee as Root unfurled it against the skiddy pace of Naseem Shah or the sinew-straining bumpers of Neil Wagner. Sat in slack-jawed bemusement when he attempted it against Pat Cummins to the first ball of a day’s play in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston last summer or yelped with delight when he later successfully nailed it off Mitch Marsh and Scott Boland.
