365 Sporting Days

Being a cricket fan as well as working with accounts means I’m a fan of ‘numbers’ and statistics. There’s been some disquiet amongst some England fans about the adulation show to Virat Kohli in the last year, a man who sits at the top of the ICC batting rankings for both Test Matches and ODI’s, he’s scored 6613 Test runs and 10533 ODI runs. I was lucky enough to see most of the 593 test runs Kohli scored in England in 2018, he was a joy to watch.

Joe Root is mentioned alongside Kohli, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith, who still remains at 4 behind Kohli, Pujara and Williamson in test rankings. Joe Root sits 5th, 91 points behind Smith and just 1 ahead of Henry Nicholls in 6th. I’ve watched a lot of home test cricket since 2014 and had the feeling that I’d seen Root lose his wicket for not too many runs more than a few times. With that in mind I’ve been a saddo and gone back to the start of 2016 to find out the facts.

I start with an away tour to South Africa starting in December 2015

• Test 1 – Innings 1 – 24 – Total 303 Batting at 4 – Won
• Innings 2 – 73 – Total 326 – 4
• Test 2 – Innings 1 – 50 – Total 627D – 4 – Drawn
• Innings 2 – 29 – Total 159 – 4
• Test 3 Innings 1 -110 – Total 323 – 4 – Won
• Innings 2 – 4 – Total 77 – 4
• Test 4 Innings 1 – 76 – Total 342 – 4 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 20 – Total 101 – 4

A total of 386 runs in 8 innings – an average of 48.25 in South Africa batting at 4 – Series WON.

Next up a home series against Sri Lanka

• Test 1 Innings 1 – 0 – Total 298 – Batting at 4 – Won
• Test 2 Innings 1 – 80 – Total 498 – 4 – Won
• Test 3 Innings 1 – 3 – Total 416 – 3 – Drawn
• Innings 2 – 4 – Total 233 – 4

A total of 87 runs in 4 innings at an average of 21.75 – Series WON

Pakistan in England in a 4 match series came next in 2016

• Test 1 Innings 1 – 48 – Total 272 – Batting at 3 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 9 – Total 207 – 3
• Test 2 Innings 1 – 254 – Total 589 – 3 – Won
• Innings 2 – 71 NO – Total 173 – 3
• Test 3 Innings 1 – 3 – Total 297 – 3 – Won
• Innings 2 – 62 – Total 445 – 3
• Test 4 Innings 1 – 26 – Total 328 – 3 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 39 – Total 253 – 3

A total of 512 runs in 8 innings at an average of 73.14 – the Not out and the huge 254 did wonders for the average for this series – Series DRAWN

England travelled to India at the end of the year where they played a 5 match series

• Test 1 Innings 1 – 124 – Total 488 – Batting at 3 – Drawn
• Innings 2 – 4 – Total 172 – 3
• Test 2 Innings 1 – 53 – Total 255 – 3 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 25 – Total 158 – 3
• Test 3 Innings 1 – 15 – Total 283 – 3 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 78 – Total 236 – 2
• Test 4 Innings 1 – 21 – Total 400 – 3 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 77 – Total 195 – 3
• Test 5 Innings 1 – 88 – Total 477 – 3 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 6 – Total 207 – 3

A total of 491 runs over 10 innings – an average of 49.1, remarkably his 3rd highest score on this tour was playing as an opener, after Haseeb Hameed broke a finger. Series LOST.

The summer of 2017 saw South Africa arriving in England – having played at 3 Root was back to 4 for this series

• Test 1 Innings 1 – 190 – Total 458 – 4 – Won
• Innings 2 – 5 – Total 233 – 4
• Test 2 Innings 1 – 78 – Total 205 – No 4 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 8 – Total 133 – No 4
• Test 3 Innings 1 – 29 – Total 353 – No 4 – Won
• Innings 2 – 50 – Total 313 – No 4
• Test 4 Innings 1 – 52 – Total 362 – No 4 -Won
• Innings 2 – 49 – Total 245 – No 4

A total of 412 runs over 8 innings at an average of 51.5 – Series WON

We had 2 opponents over the summer of 2017 as the West Indies came for a 3 match series

• Test 1 Innings 1 – 136 – Total 514 – No 4 – Won
• Innings 2 –
• Test 2 Innings 1 – 59 – Total 258 – No 4 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 72 – Total 490 – No 4
• Test 3 Innings 1 – 1 – Total 194 – No 4 – Won
• Innings 2 –

A total of 271 runs over 4 innings at an average of 67.75 – Series WON

Next up was the big one, The Ashes – this wasn’t happy trip for England

• Test 1 Innings 1 – 15 – Total 302 – Batting at 4 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 51 – Total 195 – No 4
• Test 2 Innings 1 – 9 – Total 227 – No 4 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 67 – Total 233 – No 4
• Test 3 Innings 1 – 20 – Total 403 – No 4 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 14 – Total 218 – No 4
• Test 4 Innings 1 – 61 – Total 491 – No 4 – Drawn
• Innings 2 –
• Test 5 Innings 1 – 83 – Total 346 – No 4 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 58 – Total 180 – No 4

A total of 378 runs over 9 innings at an average of 47.25 – Series LOST, badly

2018 in England saw Pakistan arrive for a 2 match test series, a frankly ridiculous number, a series surely has to be an uneven number at least!

• Test 1 Innings 1 – 4 – Total 184 – Batting at 3 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 68 – Total 242 – No 3
• Test 2 Innings 1 – 45 – Total 363 – No 3 – Won
• Innings 2 –

I was fairly furious after Day 1 at Lord’s this was a performance that had much in common with the recent tests against the West Indies, a distinct lack of respect for the opposition and a lack of preparation!

For Joe, a Total of 117 over 3 series at an average of 39 – Series DRAWN

India arrived in England for a T20 and ODI series before a 5 match test series, had Kohli scored just 7 more runs he’d have become only the second man, alongside Don Bradman to score 600 runs in 4 series, I was sorry to see him out at the Oval for a Duck.

• Test 1 Innings 1 – 80 – Total 287 – Batting at 3 – Won
• Innings 2 – 14 – Total 190 – No 3
• Test 2 Innings 1 – 19 – Total 396 – No 3 – Won
• Innings 2 –
• Test 3 Innings 1 – 16 – Total 161 – No 3 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 13 – Total 317 – No 3
• Test 4 Innings 1 – 4 – Total 246 – No 3 – Won
• Innings 2 – 48 – Total 271 – No 4
• Test 5 Innings 1 – 0 – Total 346 – No 4 – Won
• Innings 2 – 125 – Total 180 – No 4

A total of 319 runs over 9 innings at an average of 35.44 – Series WON

We’re coming into recent territory here, so, up next is the to to Sri Lanka

• Test 1 Innings 1 – 35 – Total 342 – Batting at 4 – Won
• Innings 2 – 3 – Total 322 – No 4
• Test 2 Innings 1 – 14 – Total 290 – No 4 – Won
• Innings 2 – 124 – Total 346 – No 4
• Test 3 Innings 1 – 46 – Total 336 – No 4 – Won
• Innings 2 – 7 – Total 230 – No 4

An away series WON, against a team in a rebuilding phase, Joe Root scored 229 runs over 6 innings at an average of 38.17

Now we’re into the horror that is this West Indies tour, what has Joe contributed so far?

• Test 1 Innings 1 – 4 – Total 77 – Batting at 4 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 22 – Total 246 – No 4
• Test 2 Innings 1 – 7 – Total 187 – No 4 – Lost
• Innings 2 – 7 – Total 132 – No 4

So far Joe has scored 40 runs at an average of 10 and this series is LOST, with a match to go, we don’t know by what margin, will England find some pride and some batting patience?

In Summary since the tour to South Africa starting at the end go 2015 Joe Root has scored 5 centuries and 1 double century – He batted at Number 4 85 times, Number 3 – 27 time and at 2 Once! Why aren’t we clamouring for him to open, he scored 78 that time, away from home too!

Double Century – Pakistan at home

Centuries

• South Africa – Away
• India – Away
• South Africa – Home
• West Indies – Home
• Sri Lanka – Away

The ‘tables’ are very higgledy piggledy, for that I apologise, I’m not sure the figures above tell us too much, but I feel a strange sense of achievement!