The Ashes 2017-18: Joe Root Risked Heat Stroke To Save England, Says Sport Scientist
Joe Root might not have won hearts with his captaincy and batting in the just-concluded Ashes, but the England skipper has surely won over one and all with his heroic knock on the final day of the Sydney Ashes Test. The right-handed batsman could not come out to bat on Monday morning (January 8) after suffering from a bout of viral gastroenteritis.
Joe Root, who batted for nearly three hours on the penultimate day of the Test, had been on the field for all but six overs of the day’s play. Later in the night, he was hospitalized with diarrhea and vomiting as Sydney experienced on of its hottest day in years. Initial reports suggested that Root suffered from dehydration the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) later announced that the batsman was suffering from a viral gastroenteritis bug, rather than the effects of heat exhaustion.
But while fighting off the virus on the fourth day of the game as he tried to keep England in the game with a brave knock in the 40-plus degree temperatures, Joe Root did suffer from dehydration. Dr. Kenneth Graham, the principal scientist at the New South Wales Institute of Sport, said Root’s innings in the harsh conditions put him at serious risk of heat stroke.
“Basically the human body is normally about 70 per cent or so water and when you dehydrate, a couple of things happen,” Graham was quoted as saying by The Canberra Times.
“One is a lot of the chemicals are a bit more concentrated so the cells may not operate properly inside the body, the chemical reactions may not occur as well. The blood’s going to become slightly thicker, slightly more viscous so it doesn’t flow as easily.
“The blood pressure can drop which can impact on blood flow to the brain and people start feeling a bit light headed because of the drop in blood pressure.Also as you dehydrate, you don’t sweat as well because you’ve got less fluid in the body, the fluid’s becoming more concentrated, it’s harder for the sweat gland to get that fluid and put it onto the skin.
“Sweating is pretty much the most effective method we have of heat removal from the body. If you’re not sweating enough and losing the heat, the temperature of the body can increase and that can cause some of the heat stress and then progressing in the worst case to a heat stroke-type condition,” he added.
Well, Root further risked his health when he came to save England after Moeen Ali was dismissed by Nathan Lyon. Root batted until lunch, adding 16 runs to his overnight score of 42 but could not come out to bat after the break. His conditions seem to have only worsened as he did not attend the post-match presentation with James Anderson revealing that the skipper was sleeping.
“It can be a self-fulfilling prophecy to keep pushing yourself when heat-stressed,” Graham said.
“In this case you’re also not just sitting there, you’re actually active. Being active you generate heat inside your body. When you’re dehydrated or the humidity is high it’s harder for you to lose that heat from your body and that further increases your degree of heat stress,” he added.
Meanwhile, Root’s heroics went in vain as Australia restricted England to 180 to win the game by an innings and 123 runs, thus sealing the series 4-0.
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