England batter Joe Root set a unique record during the second ODI against England in Cardiff on Thursday.
Coming out to bat at No 3, Root scored an unbeaten 99 runs from 133 balls, thus missing out on a century by a whisker.
Root’s knock, however, came in a winning cause as England defeated India by four wickets to level the three-match ODI series 1-1.
Joe Root’s unique record
Root thus became the first England batter ever to be stranded on 99 in ODIs. Overall, he became the 17th batter overall to be stranded on 99 in ODIs.
Many other current and former England players, including Jos Buttler, Alex Hales and Allan Lamb, have been dismissed for 99 in ODIs, but Root is the first England player to have been not out on 99.
Overall, there have been six instances of England batters ending a match on 99 not out in international cricket, but never in ODIs until now.
India set England a target of 234 in the second ODI. England were in a spot of bother at 94/4 in the 20th over, and then 125/5 in the 26th over. However, Root and Will Jacks (30) stitched a 72-run stand for the sixth wicket, bringing England back into the game.
The hosts were 197/6 in the 40th over when Gus Atkinson walked out to bat at No 8. Atkinson was quite aggressive with his approach, hitting 23 runs from 16 balls with three fours and one six. Atkinson sealed the match in the 45th over with a pull shot towards deep square leg for a boundary.
Root was adjudged the Player of the Match for his heroics with the bat.
“Absolutely. And that’s what the game’s about. 1-1 in the series going into Lord’s. And in those conditions, on that pitch, just to be there at the end and get the job done is probably the best feeling you can get in cricket,” the 35-year-old said at the presentation ceremony.
“I’ve got out a few times, funny, but no. But like I said, that’s not what you play for. You play to win games. And this series is very much alive now, which is what we intended at the start today. And I’m very much looking forward to a big game at Lord’s now,” he added.
The former Test has continued his impressive run in the ODI series. Root scored an unbeaten 76 in the first ODI in Birmingham, although that knock went in vain as England ended up losing that match.
The series now moves to London, with the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground hosting the third and final ODI on Sunday, with the series nicely poised at 1-1.