It was so routine you might have missed it, the moment Joe Root scored the run that made him England’s leading ODI run-scorer. Having reached his 50 in the same over, the position of the game was of more interest.
England were four wickets down in the 20th over. Both Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith had been dismissed without scoring in the first two overs. Harry Brook had made a streaky 47 before he too walked back to the dressing room. Jos Buttler played on to Alzarri Joseph after just eight balls at the crease, recording England’s third duck of the innings.
Last week, when setting a target at Edgbaston, England looked in complete control. Duckett was imperious at the top, a half-century from Brook looked equally as assured. Then, there was Jacob Bethell, who’s 82 not only propelled England to 400 but confirmed his arrival as a full-formed superstar ready for centre stage. Batting second in Cardiff, that was completely different.
Since the formation of their 2019 world-beating side, England have normally preferred to chase. Ben Stokes, schooled in the Eoin Morgan leadership academy, has turned fourth-innings Test chases into his side’s signature as well. However, under Jos Buttler’s captaincy tenure, England lost six out of the seven ODIs he chose to chase in. In the four ODIs Brook has won the toss so far, he’s chosen to bowl first in all but one of them.
But the foil to some chasing demons surfacing in Cardiff, was their familiar saviour reigniting memories of his ODI best, to give a lesson in exactly how to bat over the course of 50 overs.
7,000 ODI runs ✅
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) June 1, 2025
54 international centuries ✅
A special outing for Joe Root as he overtakes Brian Lara on the international century list👏#ENGvWI #JoeRoot pic.twitter.com/htTWX3yb7t
It’s important to caveat, Root could, and perhaps should, have been out for single figures. He was pinned deep in his crease by Matthew Forde in the fifth over, with West Indies’ affronted by having to review a call that looked so plumb. The smallest of stitches meant just under half the ball was deemed to be hitting the stumps on DRS. Had that decision been given, it would have curtailed what was to be his finest innings in the format.
As it was, Root fulfilled his cliche of reaching 50 off 52 balls and with 15 overs to go, he stepped on the accelerator pedal. He hit 76 runs off the final 43 balls he faced, including 12 boundaries, and relentlessly targeted the spinners, scoring 34 off the 13 balls of spin he faced after the 35th over. There were the typical dabs down to third man, the glorious cuts and lazy pushes into the gaps. But there was also the more memorable shuffle down the ground slap for six in the 41st over off Justin Greaves, the carve through the covers to bring up his 150 or even the imperious drive that won England the match.
Along the way, not only did he become England’s leading run-scorer in the format, making him both England’s leading Test and ODI run-scorer, but he also scored his 7,000th ODI run, and surpassed his own high score which was set back in 2017. Of those who Root has now joined in the 7,000 club, only five have higher averages, and only Hashim Amla, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers reached the milestone in fewer innings.
It’s also an innings that comes at an interesting point in his 50-over career. In amongst the mire of England’s Champions Trophy campaign, another magnificent chasing effort from Root went under emphasised. Although he didn’t quite get them over the line with the 120 he scored against Afghanistan, it was his first ODI century since the 2019 World Cup. With his appearances in the format intermittent, now 34 with a young captain in place set to define the next England 50-over era, and Brendon McCullum not averse to moving relics of age’s past on during a transition, a reset could have signalled the end of Root’s white-ball career.
Instead, England have recognised the importance of their greatest of all time. They’ve put him back to his anchor role at No.3, and selected him for a series in between the Zimbabwe Test and the marquee India series. With the fifth Test of those finishing in early August and a month’s break in between for The Hundred, there’s every chance he’ll play back-to-back ODI series when South Africa visit in September, and perhaps also against Ireland before a break ahead of the winter Ashes. With every one of those series, the 2027 World Cup lurches closer, in South Africa, where Root has scored two centuries in eight innings.
But without looking too far ahead, blocking out England’s deficiencies in the field or that no other batter made 50, Root’s innings was a snapshot of the all-conquering 2019 side on a Sunday afternoon in Cardiff, clattering the ball into the well oiled fans in the stands. If the main aim of England’s first 50-over venture of their new era was to refind their feel-good factor, it wasn’t just a series win or a 400-run blitz they needed to do it, but Root turning nostalgic memories into present day triumph with a much missed masterclass.
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