Joe Root – 6/10
378 runs @ 47.25; HS: 83 – 0x100, 5×50
Joe Root played really nicely for his runs but couldn’t convert 50s into 100s, which was so desperately needed by his team. As one of the senior batsmen and captain, it was Root’s responsibility to score big runs to guide England’s innings.
Imagine if he turned his 51 at the Gabba in the 2nd innings to a 100, or his 83 at Sydney, or his 67 at Adelaide – indeed, at Adelaide, a hundred could well have taken England to a win. It became a standing joke of sorts (Joe Root walks into a church and says he wants to become a Christian, but the priest says ‘Sorry Joe, you can’t convert) but it was actually pretty damaging to England’s chances.
That being said, he was serene at the crease and was consistently their best batsman on tour – if he had converted the 50s into 100s, then we may have been discussing the player of the series. His captaincy veered from inspired to lifeless, particularly on flatter tracks as Australia totted up the runs, though his limited resources compared to Steve Smith's account for this.
He showed good resilience coming out to bat on the 5th day at Sydney after spending the night in hospital for severe dehydration, but couldn’t save the game.
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