Watch: Joe Root hits an outrageous reverse scoop off Scott Boland for a six

Joe Root remained unbeaten on 118 against Australia in the first innings at Edgbaston.

England’s batter Joe Root has started his Ashes campaign with a bang at Edgbaston. Root smashed his 30th Test ton in Birmingham with many glorious shots throughout his stay on the wicket. Normally, Root is associated with orthodox cricket and his stroke play looks straight out of the textbook of cricket. Since the Bazball software has been installed in English cricket, everyone looks to improvise more on their game and always tries to get a mile ahead against any opposition. The current aggressive nature of England’s red-ball tactics has made Root bat and get runs with unorthodox cricketing shots, establishing himself as a face of England’s Bazball redemption. 

Root's reverse scoop to Boland

Scott Boland is Australia’s preferred option to tackle England’s new style in red-ball cricket. Former English skipper Joe Root with one of his reverse scoop six has made an impactful statement for all the upcoming tests. After the tea break, Boland in his spell bowled one outside off on a fuller length. Judging the length, Root switched his side and went over the third man with his reverse scoop for a maximum. This was the start of Joe Root’s onslaught against the Australian pacer to get to his hundred. Root remained unbeaten on 118 in 152 balls with 7 four and 4 sixes. 

The young brigade of the English batting lineup struggled against Australia. England declared their innings just two overs before the new ball was due. They were 393/8 in 78 overs when they took everyone by surprise with their decision. Along with Joe Root, opener Zack Crawley (61) and wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow (78) contributed to England’s total. At the end of the day, the Australian opener remained unbeaten 14/0 and David Warner, Usman Khawaja will be weathering the storm on day 2 against James Anderson and Stuart Broad.