Joe Root’s 3 best bowling performances across formats

Joe Root is a great batter who has been at the top of his game for the past decade but on multiple occasions he has also turned up with his bowling performances. He is an effective off-spinner who has bowled several spells that changed the course of the match in England’s favor. In this article, we will take a look at the top 3 bowling performances of Joe Root, England’s ‘Golden Arm’. 

#1. 5/8 vs India, 2021

This is the only 5-wicket haul that Joe Root has achieved in his career and he bowled this spell against India in a day-night test match at Ahmedabad. The pitch at Ahmedabad was heaven for spinners and Joe Root took advantage of that to rattle the hosts in the first innings. England could manage to score a paltry 112 runs in the first innings but the English captain stepped up with his bowling performance to deny India a massive lead in the first innings. 

#2. 4/87 vs South Africa, 2020

Interestingly Joe Root did not underestimate his abilities as an off-spinner and gave himself a chance as a captain, whenever needed, to give his team a breakthrough. This bowling performance helped his team achieve a memorable away win against South Africa. In the first innings, England posted a huge total courtesy of impressive centuries from Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope. The Proteas got bundled out for a low score in the first innings which resulted in a follow-on imposed by England. In the second innings, Joe Root destroyed all the hopes of their comeback in the match with a long spell where he picked up 4 wickets. 

#3. 3/52 vs Ireland, 2017

This is the best bowling figure of Joe Root in ODI cricket and he delivered this performance against Ireland in 2017 at Lord’s. England was defending 329 runs in the second innings and Root played a key role in restricting Ireland to 243 runs. He picked up 3 crucial wickets including the dismissals of Ed Joyce and Niall O’Brien. Eventually, England won the match by 85 runs to clinch the ODI series.