England have 14,000 reasons to love Joe Root, their reluctant captain

At a little after 2.45pm on a muggy South London afternoon, Joe Root emerged onto the Oval outfield to the now familiar chorus of “Roooooot“ that has accompanied just about all of his 300 hundred innings in Test cricket.

Root entered the fray with England chasing a notional 463 runs to win but actually teetering on 13-2, a situation that he is no stranger to after 14 years at the Test coalface. As befits the modern world, there’s even an internet meme for this very moment, a still image of a padded up Root, mid-sprint to the middle, with the caption “Ah s***, here we go again.”

Stuart Broad was on Sky’s commentary as Root marked his guard. The retired fast bowler recalled a phrase that his former teammate Mark Wood had said to him the day before about seeing Root pick up his bat and gloves and head out to do his thing: “You felt… safe.” It’s a sentiment with which every English cricket fan can relate.

Fourteen years and nigh on 14,000 Test runs earlier, Root bounded out at No 6 to play his first Test innings against India at Nagpur. Kevin Pietersen was the batter at the other end.

“All right lad, what’s going on, you’re playing well?” Root said with a cheeky smile as England floundered on 139 for 5. Pietersen was taken aback by Root’s calm and sunny disposition. “I was like, ‘Mate! I’ve played 90-odd Test matches and I don’t walk out like that,’” he recalled later. Root proceeded to bat for 229 balls in his debut knock of 73. The runs have flowed ever since.

It’s doubtful Root’s brief few words with Ben Duckett were quite so cheery on Saturday afternoon when he emerged from the dressing room, coming as they did after a punishing and probably flashback-inducing few days back at the helm as Test captain.

Root gamely answered the call to lead this makeshift England side after his great mate Ben Stokes was left out for breaking the team curfew after the first Test win at Lord’s. Despite the good intentions and the lack of other options, shares in Stokes’ captaincy will have risen in the last few days with Root back in charge of an inexperienced and unbalanced side.

A talented and disciplined New Zealand team have made England pay for their sloppiness and inability to once again grasp opportunities, England were guilty of the same under Stokes during the winter’s Ashes. Dropped catches, wayward bowling and daydreaming fielders in baking heat on day three saw the usually phlegmatic Root look murderous on a couple of occasions.

When he spoke before the match Root admitted that he had become “consumed” by the Test captaincy during his four years in the role. “Over time that took its toll on the group but also myself,” he said. “I wasn’t the person I wanted to be and it was the right time to step away.” Despite that, he also said he was “excited” by the opportunity to take the reins again for this match.

“I had a little think about it but I am very excited. I think I am in a very different place to when I finished. It is going to be a really fun week.”

Well, perhaps not. The confused and at times bizarre first hour of day two was enough to confirm that a second coming of Root as Test captain isn’t good for anyone, least of all the man himself.

As the Oval clock ticked towards 3pm on Saturday, Root faced up to Kyle Jamieson thundering in from the Pavilion end. After a wayward first innings performance Jamieson was looking back to his imposing best. He’s a chilling prospect in full flight, his muscular 6ft 8in frame and lantern jaw make him appear like some sort of lab-created fast bowler, Dolph Lundgren with an Auckland accent and searing yorker.

Root edged his third delivery and it fell just in front of second slip. The next ball, Root used his feet to get down and work the ball wide of mid-on. The single took him to 13,999 Test runs. Only one other man — India’s Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing in Root’s debut in Nagpur — has made it to 14,000.

Of course Root got there. Three balls into the next over from Matt Henry he leant forward with a pristine straight blade and dropped the ball into the covers. The entire Oval crowd rose to their feet as the single was taken, the soundtrack one of affectionate cheers, lengthy applause, a cacophony of Rooooooots and the Barmy Army trumpeter parping ‘Hey Jude”. Root gave a bashful wave of his bat, acknowledging the milestone with the air of a man who had another more pressing job on his mind.

“Joe has a gift” Kevin Sharp, Yorkshire’s former bating coach and a mentor to Root in his youth, tells The Athletic. “But I think the one thing that is a real benefit for him is that he still loves it. He loves the game, he loves batting. He really enjoys it and he still has fun.” After a wearying few days, you could see the colour return to Root’s face as he glided, clipped and cut his way into the early evening.

At 6:45pm Root walked off slowly, unbeaten on 75, three quarters of the way towards a 42nd Test century. The numbers that will be preoccupying Root right now are the 281 runs needed for victory and the five wickets England have left in the hutch. While Root is at the crease England still have slim hope.

The last few days have shown that England don’t need Joe Root as a captain, he’s done his time with the armband and the burden. The bloke who is still right for that job was busy smashing 95 runs for Durham 300 miles north. On Sunday, England will need Joe Root for his runs. Some things never change.

“It’s internal for Joe,” Sharp says. “If he’s out there in the middle playing in a Test match, he’ll be loving it. Living in the moment, not the past or the future”