Former England skipper Nasser Hussain lauded Joe Root after his 26th Test century that played a key role in leading England to a five-wicket win in the opening Test against New Zealand at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, London.
This was Root’s first Test after he quit England Test captaincy following their series loss to the West Indies.
Root was declared the Player of the Match and also achieved the feat of 10,000 plus runs in Test cricket, becoming the 14th batter to do so. Root became the second Englishman after the legendary left-hander Alastair Cook to reach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket.
"It was brilliant, right from the first ball to the scenes at the end. There was no drama on Sunday - but there was one individual that the country and English cricket fans wanted to stand to and that was Root. They love him and it was such a joyous moment for him to get to 10,000 Test runs and get England over the line,” Hussain said on SKY.
Saying that the English cricket is in the right direction under head coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes, Hussain stated that this victory will boost the confidence in the dressing room.
"It is a change in era for English cricket and it was absolutely vital they started with a win. You can imagine the confidence in that dressing room now. All the young lads will be hanging on every word from McCullum and Stokes and want to improve. It's only a start and they can't get giddy about it but it's the start England needed," Hussain added.
The second Test begins on June 10 at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
(SKY inputs)
