Cricket News

Watch: Joe Root leaves everyone shell-shocked with this wonderful reverse scoop

England and New Zealand are playing the first Test at Mount Manganui

Feb 16, 2023 11:15 am

England and New Zealand locked horns against each other at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl. England did not have the best of starts as they lost Zak Crawley with the score at 18. He was caught by Michael Bracewell off Tim Southee. Then, Ben Duckett and Olie Pope steadied the ship for the visitors.

Ben Duckett made 84 off 68 balls, with 14 fours, and Olie Pope made 42 off 65 balls, with six fours. Joe Root made an entertaining 14 off 22 balls, with two fours before he was caught by Daryl Mitchell off Neil Wagner. Root amazed one and all who were present on the ground with an amazing reverse scoop.

Joe Root played the shot of Neil Wagner in the third ball of the 23rd over

This is a shot that he has played well since he introduced it to his game. The ball was going away from him outside off, he used his quick reflexes to execute the reverse scoop that went over the slips. He used the angle of the ball to good effect to pick himself a handy boundary. The commentators on air were amazed by the shot and could not stop raving about it. At the time of writing, England are 224-5 in the second session.

Here is the video

If you’ve woken up in the middle of the night don’t watch this it will keep you awake 😍😍😍 pic.twitter.com/IuBtAYYNHu

— England's Barmy Army 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) February 16, 2023

He has been playing that shot beautifully in Test Cricket over the last year. In the International League T20, he wowed everyone with his wonderful array of reverse sweeps and scoops. Root has also got an Indian T20 League contract with the Rajasthan franchise this year.

The ODI World Cup will be held in India this year and the former England Test captain wants to make use of the Indian T20 League to the best of his ability to master the conditions so that he could try and get back in the ODI side and try and help England defend their World Cup title that they won in 2019 on home soil, which was incidentally against the Kiwis.