sage

Aussie are playing 4D chess trying to make it seem they lost to the greatest team ever to hide their embarrassment of being whooped at home and losing at the Gabba. If England put up a tough fight in India, Aussie will look so much worse

In the wider context, Root also now averages 50+ in 6 different countries, better than Smith & Williamson (5) and Kohli (3)

Joe Root has surpassed Kevin Pietersen's run total in Test Cricket. Matches: JR 99, KP 104 Innings: JR 180, KP 181 Runs: JR 8182, KP 8181 Average: JR 49.58, KP 47.28 Top score: JR 254, KP 227 100s: JR 19, KP 23 50+ scores: JR 68, KP 58 Ducks: JR 8, KP 10 Matches won: JR 44/99 (44.4%), KP 42/104 (40.4%) Root gets very unfairly maligned despite comparing extremely favourably to Kevin Pietersen who is lauded as England's best batsman for the last 40 years.

We need to set off a bat signal in Miami and await the return of the swinging prodigal son

Root's biggest problem was the mental block of failing to convert 50s. He's always looked very good. Now he seems to be getting in the groove and turning them into daddy hundreds

Root is lovely to watch looks so at ease

Australia in 1988 Geoff Marsh, David Boon, Mike Veletta, Graeme Wood, Allan Border (c), Steve Waugh, Ian Healy (wk), Tony Dodemaide, Craig McDermott, Chris Matthews, Tim May. Australia in 2021 David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Matthew Wade, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (c & wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

64 overs and 0-196 for England spinners. Awful

It will be shown with Sky. Apparently the series in England later on in the year will be with Disney.

I assume Nasser/Atherton will be on Sky comms

Will he over take Kumble?

Why on earth is Bairstow not playing against India though? Are they really "resting" him?

He's reached 8K runs last match and still younger than Cook and Sachin at that landmark