Sri Lanka v England: Alastair Cook hails ‘phenomenal’ Joe Root after win in fifth ODI
Friday 12 December 2014 06:29, UK
England captain Alastair Cook praised Joe Root after the Yorkshireman's century helped England defeat Sri Lanka in the fifth one-day international.
England successfully chased down 240 to beat the hosts by five wickets at Pallekele Stadium and stay in the series at 3-2 down with two to play.
Resuming on Thursday after rain had washed out their chances of batting the day before, England lost openers Moeen Ali (4) and Cook (20) early.
But a fantastic third-wicket partnership of 104 between Root (104no) and James Taylor (68) wrestled the game away from Sri Lanka, who gave a flat display on a pitch that was meant to suit their spinners.
“The way Taylor, and particularly Root, played today was just phenomenal,” said Cook. "(Kumar) Sangakkara (91) gave a masterclass in batting yesterday, but I thought Rooty matched that level.”
“To chase 240 fairly comfortably on a spinning wicket is a credit to the way we've pushed ourselves,” added the captain, who continues with his own struggle for form.
He also reserved praise for Taylor who, in only his third and fourth ODIs, has hit two half-centuries after a 15-month absence from the England set-up.
“He's got a really good head on him," said Cook. ”He's gone away and obviously worked incredibly hard on his game.
“From the reports we've had back from the Lions team, he's been the stand-out in terms of his strength and mental approach to the game.”
Live One-Day International Cricket
And with the match going into a second day, Cook was also keen to remember the efforts of his bowlers who had done so well in restricting the Sri Lanka to a gettable target.
“The way we bowled was fantastic,” he said. “Great credit to Chris Woakes (who took 6-47) that he's got two of the best three figures (for England in ODIs).
“I thought the way we played over two days, we deserved to win,” he added. “There's a real excitement among the group about what's going to happen over the next three months.
“I know we've lost three games, and can't hide from the fact we're still down in the series, but I think we've made some really good strides.”
Watch the sixth ODI between Sri Lanka and England, on Sky Sports 2 from 4.15am on Saturday.
