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Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt praised Joe Root for his stellar century in the second Test against West Indies, emphasizing Root’s commitment to Test cricket and his consistent performance in the format. Root’s innings of 122 runs off 178 balls at Trent Bridge showcased his mastery in English conditions, where batting can be challenging.
Root, often regarded as one of the finest Test batters in cricket history, continues to impress with his dedication to the longest format. His 32nd Test century in Nottingham puts him just one century shy of matching Alastair Cook’s record for most centuries by an English player in Tests.
Salman Butt highlighted Root’s approach to the game, noting his participation in County cricket despite his status as England’s premier batter. This commitment underscores Root’s prioritization of Test cricket and his comprehensive development as a player. Butt’s observations were shared in a video on his YouTube channel, where he commended Root’s work ethic and his significant contributions to England’s Test team.
“They play a lot of cricket and prioritize Test cricket. So their game is built on a complete development platform. And a complete development platform is long cricket. They play first-class cricket, they play county cricket whenever they are free. And they play Test cricket as well. They play a series of 5 Tests. Whether they go to Australia or India. They play test cricket with other countries as well.
“So according to their priorities, this is right. This is a normal thing that you see in Joe Root or Alistair Cook. Or you see Jimmy Anderson. So you can guess the priority that is in test cricket for them. And they leave IPL, Australian players also leave that for Ashes as well. So they know that whatever they think is number one, they prioritize it.”
Salman Butt elaborated on the impressive comebacks of Virat Kohli and Joe Root following downturns in their careers. He particularly praised Joe Root as an exceptional cricketer known for his consistency and disciplined approach to the game. Butt contrasted Root’s work ethic with the state of cricket in Pakistan, expressing concerns about the weakening fundamentals of the sport in his homeland.
“And because of that, their cricketing is excellent as well. And there is fluctuation in every career. Up and down. For 2-3 years, Virat Kohli was not able to score a 100. He stopped scoring 100s. He started again. Similarly, Joe Root’s career also had a dip. But since he recovered, he is scoring 100s again. So they are outstanding cricketers. But at the end of the day, what you see is that they are humans. And yes, they are exceptional human beings.
“They are more consistent. They are more disciplined. There is more application in their technique. And that is why there is a difference in their output as well. I feel that they are outstanding cricketers. The platform on which they are built is of long cricket. And that is why there is a difference between us and them. Our platform is very small, T20. And the core of our cricket is getting weak.”
