Phil Salt sees no reason why Joe Root cannot overhaul Sachin Tendulkar as Test cricket's all-time run scorer.
Root surpassed Alastair Cook to become England's all-time top Test run-scorer as he mounted his highest score in the format in the first Test of their ongoing series with Pakistan.
England achieved a historic Test milestone during that encounter, recording the highest innings score in the longest format this century (823-7), and the fourth-highest of all time.
They also became the first team to win a test by an innings after conceding more than 500 runs in the first innings.
Root now sits in fifth on the all-time leaderboard, with Rahul Dravid (13,288) next in his sights, though fellow England international Salt believes the 33-year-old can go beyond Tendulkar's 15,921 runs.
"I think he will. I can't see a reason why not, so yeah, I think he will," Salt told Stats Perform.
Salt also believes that Root's commitment to the cause is what makes him so special, citing his work ethic as a key contributor to his success.
"There are a lot of things, the list could go on. I think with Root, his work ethic sets him apart," Salt added.
"He's always hitting balls, he's always thinking about how he can get better. You don't spend as much time as he has at the top of your game without that work ethic.
"So, if there's something that sets him apart, I'd say it's that."
Salt also showered praise on Harry Brook, who plundered 317 in Multan.
Brook's knock was England's first triple century since 1990, with Graham Gooch the last to reach the 300-run mark.
His innings in Multan also placed him alongside Andy Sandham, Len Hutton, Wally Hammond and Bill Edrich, all of whom have scored triple centuries for England.
Brook, along with Root, also smashed the highest partnership in England’s Test history on day four of the first Test in Pakistan, posting a stand that was finally broken at 454.
In doing so, they broke a 67-year record when they passed Peter May and Colin Cowdrey’s partnership of 411, made at Edgbaston in 1957.
And Salt believes Brook has the potential to follow in Root's footsteps.
"Yeah, he's brilliant. Obviously, he's a brilliant batter, Brookie. We all know that, in all formats. It comes as no real surprise to me, to be honest, seeing how he trains," Salt said.
"I played against him a fair bit in the summer and played with him a lot more. It comes as no real surprise to me.
"Obviously, it's a hell of an achievement, but I think the two lads we're talking about—Ruti and Brookie—are very special players."
Salt also considered Brook could lead England in the future, saying: "I think so, yeah. I think he's got a very good head on his shoulders.
"I don’t have a crystal ball, but I certainly think he's capable of doing it."
Phil Salt was speaking at the launch of cinch’s new store in Manchester.
Pakistan spinners force England collapse to level series
Pakistan's spinners orchestrated England's second-innings collapse as the hosts rallied on day four to earn a 152-run win.
Having been subject to an innings and 47-run defeat in the first Test of the series, Pakistan forced a decider thanks to Sajid Khan (2-93) and Noman Ali (8-46).
England resumed on day four at 36-2 needing 297 runs to win, but Ollie Pope was only able to add one to his total (22) before being caught and bowled off Khan's second ball of the day.
Three more wickets fell over the next 40 minutes – Joe Root (18) and Harry Brook (16) were both trapped lbw by Noman, who also took Jamie Smith (6) shortly after.
Though Ben Stokes' 37 looked to provide some brief respite for England, alongside Brydon Carse's knock of 27 as they crept over the 100-mark, the tourists could not maintain any momentum.
Noman took the final seven wickets of the day and made sure things were wrapped up by lunch, dismissing Shoaib Bashir for a duck immediately after taking Jack Leach for a single run.
Data Debrief: The wait is over for Pakistan
Pakistan have salvaged some pride following their heavy defeat in the first Test, but they have also ended their terrible run on home soil.
Shan Masood finally has his first win since taking over as captain and, along with it, put a halt to their six-match losing streak in Pakistan.
It is all down to Noman and Khan, who combined for all 20 wickets, becoming the first pair to achieve such a feat in a Test since Dennis Lillee and Bob Massie in 1972.
Windies women eye repeat of 2016 triumph against New Zealand in T20 World Cup semi-final
Much like they did in 2016, when they got by New Zealand in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final on their way to claiming a maiden title, West Indies women will be hoping to replicate that magic.
With memories of that six-run triumph still fresh in their minds, the Caribbean side is eager to once again top the Kiwis in Sharjah on Friday to join South Africa in the showpiece event, scheduled for October 20.
Should the West Indies defeat New Zealand again, it would lay the platform for them to avenge their tournament-opening 10-wicket loss to South Africa. Since that battering, West Indies got by Scotland, Bangladesh and England on their way to the knockout stage, where they are now seeking to build on that momentum.
“I think we’re proud of what we’ve been able to achieve. No one kind of had us get to this stage, so I think we’re all pretty happy that we’ve made it here. The job’s just not finished yet and we got our eyes locked on the game tomorrow (Friday) and ready for New Zealand,” Captain Hayley Matthews said in a pre-game conference.
“Hopefully ready to play a really big game because we do want to win; we don't want to just come to this World Cup to say, ‘hey, we've made the semifinals and we're happy with that. We want to take it even further,” she added.
Experienced Jamaican batter Stafanie Taylor remains in doubt for West Indies, but Matthews’ side still possesses enough ability to pull a surprise, much like they did against England on last. In fact, with the likes of Zaida James and other rising talents currently in the squad, Matthews encouraged her peers to enjoy the moment as she recalled when she won her first World Cup title eight years ago at 18 years old.
“I think for me it was mostly just about staying calm but having fun, especially as a West Indian. I think we're always at our best when we're out there on the field, enjoying ourselves and being really vibrant in the field, and I'm just encouraging every one of the youngsters to go out there and enjoy themselves. Yeah, it's the World Cup semi-final and it's a huge game, but we're still playing the same game that we learned in the backyards of our homes and out on the streets in the Caribbean. So just enjoy it,” Matthews shared.
Despite facing tough competition, the West Indies have fought their way into the final four with a combination of gritty performances and standout individual displays, including the stellar all-round efforts of Matthews herself, along with Taylor, Qiana Joseph and Deandra Dottin, in particular.
“I think we all had the belief that we could still get the job done and the character shown within the team for us to be able to come back out there and fight. It's just about having a really good game and every single one of the players went out there and we're able to execute as we pull together as a team really well,” Matthews noted.
That said, the talented Barbadian all-rounder expressed optimism about the prospects that could come from her team winning another global T20 title.
“I really hope it helps our domestic setup. We've obviously seen the WCPL come about, which I think has made a massive difference for our girls, getting to play against some of the best cricketers in the world and playing a high-quality tournament like that.
“But for me, it's got to start right up from our individual territories, putting things in place for the girls to have proper facilities to train at and a proper structure to the point where the girls don't have to be in camp in order to get proper training. So I'd love to see if we can go out there, do really well, and hopefully we can see something like that happening for us,” Matthews explained.
But before they can get there, they will have to get by a dangerous New Zealand team.
Sammy focusing on positives despite T20I series loss to Sri Lanka- “We sent a strong message”
West Indies Men’s white ball head coach Daren Sammy is focusing on the positives after his team’s 2-1 T20I series loss to Sri Lanka in Dambulla.
After a dominant win in the first T20I on Sunday on a pitch typical for Dambulla, suitable for batting, the pitches for the second and third T20Is were much more conducive to spin bowling, a strength of the hosts.
The statistics reflected that, with 15 out of the 18 West Indian wickets to fall in the last two encounters being to Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers.
While eventually noting the need of his players to be better able to adapt to the change in conditions, Sammy looked at the fact that Sri Lanka had to make that big of an adjustment in their favor after one game as a plus for his side.
“We sent a strong message. We started a series one way with a squad looking to see the depth and the home side had to change the whole set up to make sure that their spinners got the advantage,” Sammy said in a press conference after the third game on Thursday.
“Ideally, yes, our men did not respond well to the spin, however, with the mindset that we have in our team being a championship winning team, we must be able to play in different conditions,” he added.
For Sammy, the changes to the pitch in the last two games felt like a win for his side in the long run.
“For us to see the last two games, the nature of the wicket from what it was at the start, I thought we actually won the contest because we were the away team and in conditions set before us, we challenged them with a squad that was not our full squad and they had to react to that,” he said.
“I told the guys yes, when the World Cup comes, we won’t get these conditions. ICC will make sure the pitches are good. It was a moral victory for us,” Sammy added.
Sammy went further, noting how Sri Lankan pacers Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara didn’t get an opportunity to bowl on good pitches in the last two games will hurt them in the long run.
“When you have pacers like that not getting an opportunity to bowl on good wickets when the true test comes, that’s where you really test your team,” he said.
“We as a group know Sri Lanka has never beaten us in a T20I series and with the manner in which they had to do over here in Sri Lanka, we’ll take that but there is need for much improvement in the way our guys play spin when there’s a challenge,” he added.
Both teams will now turn their attention to the three ODIs in Pallekele beginning on Sunday, October 20.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
