Joe Root’s second century of the World Cup helped England cruise to victory over the West Indies, but the celebratory mood in Southampton was punctured by injury scares for captain Eoin Morgan and opener Jason Roy.
A commanding eight-wicket win against dangerous opponents was important in firming up England’s semi-final prospects, although seeing two of their best batsmen limp from the field was a bitter pill to swallow.
England barely missed the pair on the day, Root’s unbeaten 100 guiding them past a modest target of 213 with 101 balls unused, but they will be desperate for positive news from the treatment room.
Tweet of the day
England have never ever had a more consistent player across the different formats than @root66 … He is an fantastic player and one which all young players should be trying to copy …. #JustSaying #OnOn #CWC19
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) June 14, 2019
Former England captain Michael Vaughan hails the class and consistency of the tournament’s top run-scorer.
World Cup snapshot
Chris Gayle may not have been at his barnstorming best, but his 36 was still enough to see him become the top run scorer in ODIs between these sides, with 1,632. In doing so he overtook the great Sir Viv Richards’ mark by 13, with both men having appeared 36 times in the fixture.
Top shot
Chris Woakes is in at number three for England!
He comes in after the wicket of Bairstow for 45. pic.twitter.com/YwsSPoYYrG
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) June 14, 2019
Overlooking a series of picturesque drives by Root might feel a tad harsh but such excellence is almost expected at this stage. Chris Woakes, on the other hand, was in uncharted territory. To get off the mark with an upright punch past Shannon Gabriel settled the nerves and showed the West Indies England had plenty of depth in the ranks.
Having a ball
Quote of the day
Tournament tracker
Sri Lanka v Australia, The Oval (1030)
South Africa v Afghanistan, Cardiff (1330).
One to watch
Table
