Joe Root paid an emotional tribute to the late Graham Thorpe after scoring a milestone 33rd Test hundred against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Thursday, saying much of his success was down to the impact of his former coach.
His innings meant Root equalled Alastair Cook’s record for the most Test hundreds by an England batsman, after he came in with the side faltering at 42-2 on the first day of the second Test.
Root immediately pointed to the sky after reaching three figures in a gesture in memory of former England batsman and assistant coach Thorpe, who died aged 55 earlier this month after taking his own life.
A deeply moved Root, whose composed 143 helped England reach 358-7 at stumps, told reporters: “I’ve been very lucky to work with a lot of people, whether it be senior players, coaches and mentors.
“He (Thorpe) was one of those people who offered me so much and it was nice to be able to think of him in that moment. Someone I’m sorely going miss and who I owe a lot to. He put a lot into my game and my career.”
– ‘Saw something with me’ –
Thorpe, who won exactly 100 Test caps, was widely regarded as the best England batsman of his generation.
The stylish left-hander was also one of the first to recognise Root’s talent.
“Before I’d even made a hundred at first-class level he picked me for an England Lions (A team) game against Sri Lanka at Scarborough,” said Root.
“He saw something with me… He pushed very hard for me to be involved in that India tour where I made my debut (in 2012) and from that point onwards we worked together.”
Root added: “It evolved into more than that, we became good friends and I really enjoyed spending a lot of time with him. It was nice to pay a small tribute. He means a lot to me and that was a small thank you.”
Root’s innings revived England after Sri Lanka’s gamble in bowling first under blues skies and on a good batting pitch almost paid dividends.
England were faltering at 212-6 but Root’s century allied to Gus Atkinson’s Test-best 74 not out boosted the total after several top-order batsmen gave their wickets away.
Root, eventually out to his trademark reverse ramp, came in after Ollie Pope was dismissed for just one — his third single-figure score since deputising as captain for the injured Ben Stokes.
Pope admitted he was finding it tough to balance the demands of batting and leadership after twice being out for six in an otherwise successful debut as skipper during England’s five-wicket win in last week’s first Test at Old Trafford.
But, with the home team 1-0 up in a three-match series, former England captain Root insisted: “I don’t think there’s anything for Ollie to worry about… He should keep doing exactly what he’s doing.”
Root added: “You know someone like him with his talent ability and his mindset, it won’t be long before he scores a big score.”
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