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Source: @thecricketmen X
Joe Root, a veteran hitter and England mainstay, once again displayed his creative yet hilarious side by choosing to shine the red cherry or ball, in a distinctive way. The incident happened on the first day of the second Test match between England and Pakistan, which is now taking place in Multan. On Tuesday, October 15, both teams began the second Test of the series.
Curiously, Root was able to make Jack Leach his shiny weapon by rubbing the ball against the spinner's bare head in an attempt to prolong the ball's shine. In an attempt to balance the Test series against the visiting team, the hosts chose to have a strip supporting the spinners, in contrast to the first Test, when the track was completely calm.
Joe Root's hilarious moment:
Which was more culturally significant, the renaissance or Joe Root shining the ball with Jack Leach’s head sweat? pic.twitter.com/RKrfyMckGU
— TheCricketMen (@thecricketmen) December 3, 2022
For those who are unaware, the International Cricket Council (ICC) outlawed using saliva to shine the ball during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, players have found innovative techniques to shine the ball while still adhering to the rules. Additionally, Joe Root has already expressed a preference for sparkling the cricket ball with his scalp.
The veteran had performed a similar stunt in the 73rd over of the first Test match back in 2022 when England last visited Pakistan. Speaking of the current first Test, Pakistan captain Shan Masood won the toss and chose to take advantage of the situation by batting first on the re-used surface, therefore lady luck was on the side of the hosts.
Masood and company will try to rally in the series by batting well after losing the opening game by an innings deficit. But Jack Leach did not let anyone down either, removing both the captain and opener Abdulla Shafique in three overs during his bowling spell.
Because of this, the obstinate left-arm spinner made history by being the first English spinner to take wickets in the opening ten overs of a Test match. This accomplishment hasn't been accomplished since 1889. But after faltering on 19/2, the ship was steadied by the tough half-centuries of young Saim Ayub and the gifted rookie Kamran Gulam.
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