Joe Root smashed his 18th century in the ODIs as he continued to aggregate runs, regardless of the format. Being the highest run-getter for England in Tests, Root now has the most runs for his country in ODIs as well, as he went past Eoin Morgan's tally of 6,957 runs in the format for the 2019 champions. Chasing a strong target of 309 against the West Indies in the second ODI of the three-match series in Cardiff, England, got off to a horrible start, losing both the openers cheaply inside the powerplay.
Root provided the calming influence that England needed in the middle as the wickets kept falling all around him before he finally found an ally in Will Jacks after England were five down on 133. Root needed 42 runs to break Morgan's record and did that quite comfortably on the way to his 54th international hundred as he went past Brian Lara. Root also reached the milestone of 7,000 ODI runs, becoming the 47th player in the format to do so.
Most runs for England in ODIs
7015* - Joe Root (in 168 innings)
6957 - Eoin Morgan (in 207 innings)
5416 - Ian Bell (in 157 innings)
5233 - Jos Buttler (in 162 innings)
5092 - Paul Collingwood (in 181 innings)
At 2/2 and losing captain Harry Brook and former skipper Jos Buttler in quick succession could have been fatal for England before Root decided to turn on the screws single-handedly over the West Indies. Root and Will Jacks stitched a 100-run partnership for the sixth wicket and helped England recover from a position from which the West Indies could have built on and pushed for a win. However, Root just went on and flew with the game, with Jacks performing his role of second fiddle beautifully.