That Joe Root is a magician with the willow is an established fact, but getting his bat to balance without any support is a supposed hidden superpower that only came to the fore in the first Test against New Zealand.

Root continued his stellar form in the first Test against the Kiwis, scoring a match-winning century in what was his first Test since stepping down from the captaincy. Since the start of 2021, he has made nine hundreds in 41 innings, averaging 56.20 and making 2,192 runs. The second-highest run-scorer in this period is Dimuth Karunaratne, with 1,216 runs.

While Root’s wizardry as a batter has been established over the years, what was not known was that he can even manoeuvre the bat according to his whims and fancies! Root was at the non-striker’s end on 87 in the second innings when he got his bat to balance on its own as he waited for Kyle Jamieson to complete his run-up. The incident left viewers astonished and stunned, with many questioning if the former skipper was “even more of a magician?”

Seriously is that bat holding itself up or is Joe Root even more of a magician?? @BumbleCricket @root66 #ENGvsNZ pic.twitter.com/bcHVvPngY4

— Webbo (@WebboOne) June 5, 2022

I knew @root66 was talented but not as magic as this……. What is this sorcery? @SkyCricket #ENGvNZ 🏏 pic.twitter.com/yXdhlb1VcF

— Ben Joseph (@Ben_Howitt) June 5, 2022

However, the mystery was later unravelled, with confirmation that Root bats with a less curved and a more flat-bottomed willow, which allows them to self-balance themselves.

Ok… apparently Root now has flat-bottomed bats, not slightly curved as per usual. https://t.co/ECL87LGevd

— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) June 5, 2022