Emotional Joe Root dedicates his record-equalling century for England to Graham Thorpe after scoring 143 runs against Sri Lanka
Joe Root looks to the skies on reaching his century in a touching tribute to late former England batsman and coach Graham Thorpe.Joe Root looks to the skies on reaching his century in a touching tribute to late former England batsman and coach Graham Thorpe.Joe Root dedicated his 33rd Test century to the late Graham Thorpe, saluting the heavens upon reaching three figures in tribute to his former coach and friend.
“Thorpey was one of those people who offered me so much,” Root said at stumps having made 143 at Lord’s onagainst Sri Lanka before he fell in the final session, fluffing a reverse-scoop to backward point. “It was nice to be able to think of him in that moment. He’s someone I’m sorely going to miss and who I owe a lot to. He put a lot into my game, into my career and without his help I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now.
Root said he was “a little bit twitchy” on 99, where he was stuck for 12 deliveries. “You can’t not hear the crowd,” he said. “There is an element of relief when you cross the line.” Relief and love. Root was visibly emotional when paying homage to Thorpe, someone whom he credits with shaping “pretty much all” of his game. “He was involved with the England Lions and before I’d even made a hundred in a first-class game he picked me for a Lions game,” Root said. “We became good friends and I really enjoyed spending a lot of time with him. It was nice to pay a small tribute. He means a lot to me and that was, I guess, a small thank-you.
Meanwhile, MCC dismissed concerns over the level of ticket sales for day four of the game on Sunday. A statement said: “Across the first three days of the Test match against Sri Lanka, we’re delighted that Lord’s will be near to capacity, closely matching the sellout against West Indies in July. The sales throughout the summer of 2024 have been the best outside an Ashes year.
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