Yahoo News Joe Root hails young side as England set template for success in South Africa
Joe Root hailed the performance of his young England team after they took a 2-1 series lead with victory by an innings and 53 runs over South Africa.
England wrapped up victory just before lunch on the final day, having endured a frustrating morning that saw South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj and Dane Paterson put on 99 for the final wicket.
But Sam Curran pulled off a direct hit run out from mid-off to dismiss Maharaj and complete the victory — England’s first by an innings overseas since the Ashes victory of 2010/11.
Curran is one of five players 24 or under in the side. Ollie Pope, the man of the match for his maiden century and six catches, and Dom Bess, who took his first Test five-wicket haul, are among the others. Root described Pope as “capable of breaking records for England” and hoped he would score “a couple more” centuries this winter.
England took 20 wickets for the third time in three matches, with this the second win under the new captain-coach axis of Root and Chris Silverwood.
“I think it’s a great template for how we want to play our cricket moving forward: a big first-innings score and then we really drove the game from there,” said Root. “Spoons [Silverwood] coming in and giving a slightly different edge to how to look at Test cricket has changed things slightly. By no means are we the finished article but we are moving in the right direction. We are very much at the start of the journey, but everyone has bought into it. With that attitude, we have a chance of making it happen. More than anything, they [the youngsters] are very willing to listen and to learn.”
Silverwood also paid tribute to the youngsters, saying: “They bring real energy. You think back to when you were young, full of energy, and they’re bringing that to the dressing room.”
Root’s dreams of an unlikely maiden Test five-wicket haul were dashed as Maharaj attacked the 11 overs he bowled this morning. Still, he finished with career-best figures of four for 87, the best by an England captain since Bob Willis in 1984. Root took an eight-wicket haul in league cricket some years ago, but insisted that missing out here did not concern him.
Root was optimistic that Jofra Archer will be fit to play in the final Test at the Wanderers, due to start on Friday, and said that he could be paired with Mark Wood, who took a third wicket this morning.
South Africa head to Johannesburg in a troubled state and their captain, Faf du Plessis, was forced to defend
his position. “I’ve heard the rumours of a possible retirement,” he said.
“I’ve been pretty consistent with my message that the T20 World Cup is the timeframe I’m looking for.”
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