England opener Joe Root laid the foundation of a massive win as he smashed 180 runs in the second innings of the Second Test at Lord’s. But he feels that more than Aussies, it was his brother Billy who bullied him with his good natured jibes during the drink’s break. England managed to clinch the Second Test by a huge margin of 347 runs and is now 2-0 up with this convincing victory.
At 22 years and 202 days, Root became England's youngest Ashes centurion at Lord's as the Yorkshire batsman recorded his second ton in just his eighth Test. Whereas it was, his younger brother Billy, a member of the ground staff of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which owns Lord's, served as England's 12th man and drinks carrier for much of the day.
According to a report in The Sun, Root said, "He has been abusing me all day bringing drinks out, so he actually had to be nice to me when I got the hundred. He was telling me I was scoring too slowly and saying he would have been smashing it to all parts.”.
He added, "To be honest it was nastier than anything said to me by Shane Watson and the Australian bowlers. It was good to share it with my family though. My parents were here as well and I'm sure they enjoyed it."
Root was having a tough time so far in this series as he scored just 41 runs in the previous three innings but this time he made the most of the under-pressure bowling unit of Australia and frustrated them with his brilliant shot selection. He expressed that how important was his hundred for him not just in context of this match but of his career too.
Meanwhile the reports in Deccan Herald quoted him saying, "It would be wrong to say you don't get nervous but you just try to enjoy it more than anything. It's something I've always wanted to do. It would be silly to ruin it by being anxious. It was great. I really enjoyed it.
"Hundred at Headingley against Kiwis was quite special but to do it at Lord's against Australia is very enjoyable. I watched the Ashes when I was a boy and it's great to be part of it now."
