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England's superstar batter Joe Root played a thrilling knock of 80 not out off 54 balls but his efforts went in vain as Sharjah Warriors defeated Dubai Capitals by seven wickets in the 10th Match of the ongoing International League T20 (ILT20) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on January 21 (Saturday). Root's masterclass came a few hours after Australia's Steve Smith registered his second successive T20 century while playing for Sydney Sixers against Sydney Thunder in a Big Bash League (BBL) match.
There was a stark similarity between the knocks played by Root and Smith, albeit in a different competition. The two modern-day greats, who have been often criticised for their slow going in the shortest format of the game, batted with fabulous strike rates and both remained unbeaten. Smith remained unbeaten for 125 off 66 deliveries including five fours and nine sixes at a strike rate of 189.39. The Englishman smacked eight fours and one six in his innings and registered a strike rate of 148.15.
The two major differences between the knocks played by Root and Smith were that the latter converted his fifty into a sensational century while the former couldn't reach the three-figure mark. Also, Smith's knock resulted in a victory but Root's innings was overshadowed by Tom Kohler-Cadmore outrageous century.
Kohler-Cadmore smashed a terrific ton and remained unbeaten 106 runs off 47 balls with the help of 10 fours and six sixes. Following the 28-year-old spectacular knock, Sharjah chased down the target of 178 runs with 32 balls to spare.
Talking about Root, the former England captain is currently the fourth leading run-scorer in IPT20. The stylish right-handed batter gas aggregated 132 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 125.71 and an average of 44.
