Watch: England Test captain Joe Root, playing for Yorkshire Vikings in the T20 Blast, unveiled a new variation to his off-spin armoury, delivering a full-blown bouncer to Leicestershire Foxes’ Arron Lilley, only to be smashed for four anyway.
Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match awards, player interviews, analysis and much more.
Root, Yorkshire’s captain on the day, had bowled two overs in the powerplay, conceding 18 runs but dismissing Leicestershire’s in-form overseas opener Josh Inglis. However, Lilley’s entry at No.3 changed the context of the contest, with his blitz turning the game the home side’s way.
By the time Root came back onto bowl, Yorkshire had claimed just one further wicket, and Leicestershire were scoring at 10 runs per over, with six overs of carnage to come. The England skipper was pumped for six to start the over, and though the next four balls passed without incident, Root had a surprise in store to finish.
He hurled down a quick (for a spinner) bouncer, but Lilley was ready, carving the ball over the off-side for another boundary. He would end up unbeaten on 99, having driven Leicestershire to a strong total of 207-3. They would end up victorious by 34 runs.
The Root bouncer is available to watch at 1 hour, 29 minutes and 25 seconds into the below replay of the game:
