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Updated June 1st, 2021 at 12:44 IST

What happened to Joe Root? Advantage NZ as England captain in doubt for 1st Test

Here’s a look at what happened to Joe Root and whether he would be playing in the first Test match in the England vs New Zealand 2021 Test series.

Reported by: Shubham Birwadkar
What happened to Joe Root
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The first Test match of the England vs New Zealand 2021 Test series is all set to begin from June 2 at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. Ahead of the first Test match, captain Joe Root has injured himself during a net practice session and fans have started wondering about the Joe Root injury and how it would affect his position in the team. Here’s a look at what happened to Joe Root and whether he would be playing in the first Test match against New Zealand.

What happened to Joe Root during the practice session?

During a practice session on Monday, the England Test captain, Joe Root sustained an injury on his right hand. Joe Root received the injury while facing the balls from head coach Chris Silverwood during the practice session. A training device known as the ‘dog-thrower’ was used during the session and Joe Root injured his right hand while facing the ball from this device.

After being hit by the ball on his right hand, Joe Root left the practice session in the nets immediately and went inside to work on his injury with assistant coach Paul Collingwood. Later, he did return to the field for England’s outdoor practice but did not take part in any drills. It was revealed by the England team management that Joe Root had bruised his right hand after receiving the blow.

Joe Root injury to not affect his selection in the playing XI

The England management also revealed that Joe Root would miss the upcoming outdoor net practice session on Tuesday ahead of the first Test match against New Zealand. This step is taken as a precautionary measure for the England Test captain’s recovery. Despite the injury scare, Joe Root is still expected to play the first Test match against Kane Williamson-led New Zealand team.

Joe Root replacement option for the first Test match

In case of an event where Joe Root won’t be able to participate, he will be likely replaced by wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings. Sam Billings was recently included in the England squad along with Nottinghamshire batsman Haseeb Hameed after the Ben Foakes injury. The Joe Root stats display his importance in the England Test squad in the absence of major players like Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer in the England vs New Zealand 2021 Test series.

Joe Root stats in Test cricket for 2021 season

Joe Root has maintained a brilliant form in the first half of 2021 by scoring 2 double centuries with a score of 186 runs in Test cricket. He is the leading run-scorer in Test cricket for the 2021 season so far, scoring 794 runs from 12 innings. Joe Root has maintained a brilliant average of 66.16 and his brilliant knock of 218 runs against India helped England win the first Test match of the 4-match series.

Image Source: PTI

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Published June 1st, 2021 at 12:44 IST

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