Michael Vaughan names two bowlers who can restrict Joe Root
What's the story
Joe Root, England's top Test cricketer, is currently experiencing a career high.
He recently surpassed Alastair Cook's record of 33 Test centuries, becoming England's most successful batter in this format in terms of tons.
Despite his impressive form, former England captain Michael Vaughan has identified two players who could potentially curb Root's performance: India's Jasprit Bumrah and Australia's Pat Cummins.
Team dependency
Vaughan highlights England's over-reliance on Root
Vaughan expressed his disappointment with England's batting performance in the third Test against Sri Lanka, where they suffered an eight-wicket loss.
He emphasized the team's over-dependence on Root for scoring runs.
"This week really hit home to me how important Joe Root is to this batting lineup," Vaughan wrote in his column for Telegraph.
He further stated that without Root's consistently high scores, the team struggles significantly.
Performance challenges
Vaughan points out Root's struggles against Bumrah, Cummins
Vaughan also highlighted Root's difficulties when facing Bumrah and Cummins.
He noted that Bumrah seems to enjoy bowling at Root and could significantly reduce his output next summer.
Similarly, he pointed out that Root is yet to score a century in Australia. where Cummins has troubled him.
"He can't do it every week, and he didn't do it this week," Vaughan added, emphasizing the need for England to find ways of succeeding without relying solely on Root's high scores.
Career stats
Root's record in Australia and against India
Despite playing 14 Tests in Australia, Root has not yet scored a century there.
He has, however, managed to score nine half-centuries and accumulate 892 runs at an average of 35.68.
Against India, Root has an impressive record with 2,846 runs at an average of 58.08 including 10 hundreds and 11 fifties.
These statistics underscore Vaughan's observations about the potential challenges Root could face from Bumrah and Cummins in future matches.
WTC stats
Root's performance in the ongoing WTC cycle
In the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, Root has been in exceptional form as the top scorer so far.
He has amassed 1,398 runs from 16 matches at an average of 53.76 with five hundreds and six fifties.
However, his recent failure in the third Test against Sri Lanka where he registered scores of 13 and 12 across two innings, resulted in a significant loss for England.