NO AVERAGE JOE

Patrick Kidd

IT WAS MIDWAY THROUGH THE AFTER-noon on the first day of the fourth Test in Nagpur in 2012 and England were in a pickle. Leading the series 2-1, Alastair Cook’s side needed a draw in the last match to secure a first win in India for 28 years. Inevitably, the home team’s spinners had them in knots. Four good batsmen had been dismissed and Kevin Pietersen, who had passed 50 on what he called “the toughest pitch I ever played on”, would not last much longer. Out jogged England’s 21-year-old debutant. If he felt nerves, he did not show them. Flashing a huge grin, one which fans would see often over the next dozen years, JOE ROOT greeted Pietersen, a man of such confidence and ego that his nickname among…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2024

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