Ashes 2021: Joe Root struck on helmet by a vicious Ben Stokes bouncer in the nets; Watch

England players were seen in the nets on Tuesday, preparing for the second Ashes Test against Australia, which begins on December 16. England captain Joe Root was struck in the head by all-rounder Ben Stokes' bouncer during the practice session. Stokes bowled a short-pitched delivery to Root, who failed to estimate the trajectory of the ball and got struck in the head. Root, on the other hand, appeared unfazed by the hit and continued to bat despite suffering the blow. Root was the last player to leave the nets as England's training session ended on Tuesday.

Root appeared in nice touch ahead of the pink-ball Test match in Adelaide. Root is currently witnessing the peak of his career having scored more Test runs than everybody else in the ongoing season. Root is the leading Test run-scorer in 2021, and he is the only player in the world to reach 1,000 Test runs this season. Root has six Test centuries to his name. Root set a new record for the most runs scored by an England Test cricketer in a calendar year during the first Ashes Test match at The Gabba after he took his tally past Michael Vaughan's previous record of 1,481 runs.

Ashes series

As far as the ongoing Ashes series is concerned, England lost the first game in Brisbane by 9 wickets. Batting first, England were bowled out for a low total of just 147 runs. Jos Buttler top-scored for the visiting side with 39 off 58 balls. Haseeb Hameed, Ollie Pope, and Chris Woakes were the other contributors for England, hitting 25, 35, and 21 runs, respectively. Pat Cummins bowling in his debut Test match as Australian captain picked a fifer to kickstart his journey and put England immediately under pressure. 

In reply, Australia scored 425 runs in their first innings courtesy of some brilliant batting by Travis Head, who made a stylish comeback into the Australian Test squad by hitting a magnificent 152 off 148 balls. David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne also scored a half-century each for Australia before being dismissed for 94 and 74 runs, respectively. England scored 297 runs in their second innings on the back of two 80-plus scores, one each by Dawid Malan and Joe Root. Australia's second innings saw Marcus Harris open the innings alongside Alex Carey. Carey was dismissed after scoring 9 runs. Harris then finished the chase alongside Marnus Labuschagne in just 5.1 overs. 

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