Watch: Left-handed Joe Root during PAK vs ENG 1st Test
Veteran England batter Joe Root switched his batting grip from right to left after bringing up his half-century during the first Test between Pakan and England in Rawalpindi on Sunday.
Joe Root simply bats left handed. Remarkable pic.twitter.com/CXUr3dLCS8
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) December 4, 2022
However, two balls later he reverted to his more typical stance and reverse-swept spinner Zahid Mahmood for four.
But the Pakan spinner had the last laugh when he snared Root bowling outside the leg and forced the Englishman to go for a conventional sweep shot which led to a top edge and a simple catch at fine leg.
Root is not the first batter to change his stance in the middle of an innings.
Former India Test great Sunil Gavaskar had batted left-handed for Bombay (Mumbai) against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy semi-final in 1982.
Facing a tough bowling attack led former India left-arm spinner Raghuram Bhat on a surface that was turning viciously, Gavaskar in the second innings, chose to bat left-handed on the fourth and final day of the match. Coming into bat at number eight, Gavaskar guided his team to safety and remained unbeaten on 18.
Earlier, England lost two early wickets to reach 46/2 at lunch on Day 4 as it attempted to force a result after Pakan’s lower order dug in to cut down the visitors’ first innings lead to 78 in the first test on Sunday.
Offspinner Will Jacks, who was awarded test debut at the last minute after Ben Foakes had to sit out due to viral infection, picked up 6-161 on a wicket doing little favor to the bowlers before Pakan was eventually bowled out for 579 in its first innings.
England lost first innings century-makers Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope to reach 46-2 in seven overs before lunch for an overall lead of 124 runs.
