Brisbane: Joe Root set a record for most runs in a calendar year by an England Test batter. He shared an unbroken 159-run stand with Dawid Malan on Friday to lead a rally in the Ashes series opener against Australia. Joe Root was unbeaten 86 and Malan was 80 batting when England reached 220 for the loss of two wickets at stumps on Day 3.
The England skipper has scored 1,541 runs so far in 2021. In the process Root beat Michael Vaughan’s record of 1,481 runs in 2002. Mohammad Yousuf holds the Test record with his 1,788 runs in 11 matches for Pakistan in 2006.
England are still 58 runs behind. However, after being dismissed for 147 on Day 1 and conceding a 278-run first-innings deficit, the third-wicket pair finally gave England a session of dominance.
Root faced 158 deliveries, hit 10 boundaries and was one run shy of his highest previous score in an Ashes test Down Under. Malan faced 177 deliveries as the pair got through almost two full sessions.
Malan said the only way for England to go forward was to forget the first innings and not be ‘sitting ducks’. He asserted that it is important to take the attack back to the Australian bowlers. But he said the job was only half done, and England needed at least another 250-300 runs to pressure Australia.
With Root still there, it’s possible. “He (root) seems to somehow find a way of putting the pressure back on the bowlers,” Malan said. “It’s great signs for us as a team that Root is playing well and leading from the front,” Malan added.
Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne said that they aim to keep up the pressure when the game resumes Saturday. “The new ball is due after 10 more overs. So we need to keep the pressure up,” Labuschagne said. “We know the Gabba. We know the template here and so we are hoping to strike quickly,” he added.