ENG vs SA: "I Have Never Had More Fun Playing Professional Cricket" - Joe Root

England Cricket Team’s thumping victory against South Africa in the 3rd Test Match has revolutionized Test Cricket. Joe Root, the former skipper was pumped up after the victory. The hosts made a resounding comeback in the Test Series after being 1-0 down. South Africa on the other hand would be crestfallen. The visitors lacked quality batters as they were too much dependent on Dean Elgar which is not a good sign.

England’s Test Cricket Summer has been fantastic as there was even contest with both bat & ball. English batters were quite aggressive and it looked like they wanted to prove that they are not done yet. Ben Stokes has been absolutely brilliant in leadership as he was ready for all sorts of uphill challenges.

Joe Root on England Cricket Team

Joe Root was pretty much over the moon after the 3rd Test Match. “There was a moment at Trent Bridge when me and Zak Crawley sat down in that last session with a crossword. We did one answer and within three overs, we’d put the book down and couldn’t take our eyes off it. It was like watching a highlights reel of a T20 game, never mind a Test match. It was remarkable“.

“Some of the things we’d never seen before in Test cricket happened in a short space of time. It’s nice to know what we’re capable of. It almost feels like – I hate drawing the comparison, but there is a small feeling of what it was like when we started to make those really big scores in the white-ball team. That’s the exciting thing – what is the limit, how far can we go? You look at what that team has achieved over a period of time. I know it is early days and a lot of different elements to Test cricket, compared to the white-ball format, but it is very exciting that there is the same sort of vibe around, in my mind anyway”. Root said

Root was asked by what he found this season. “I‘ve never had more fun playing professional cricket. Honestly, it is hard to put into words. You turn up every day and you’re very excited about what’s going to happen. It’s the unknown. It’s quite a strange feeling to have played 120-odd games, still to have that feeling when you turn up every day. It’s a really good place to be. It keeps you very hungry and motivated. You can bounce off the energy of everybody else who is in the same mindset.” Root added.

Brendon McCullum & Ben Stokes a Great Combo

ECB’s decision to make McCullum as the Head Coach proved to be quite fruitful. The hosts had an awesome home Summer where they dented each & every team’s chances in World Test Championship. Ben Stokes has had a topsy-turvy Summer with the bat which he would be aware but he always has been the bowler’s captain.

England would be aware that their next opponent Pakistan would be a different challenge altogether. The playing conditions and pitches would be spin-friendly and spicier as compared to England’s. The ‘Bazball’ may not be productive and it would be an intriguing contest.

Also Read: ENG vs SA: “Great Joy To See Ben Stokes Take To Test Captaincy Like Duck To Water”: Joe Root