By Will Jackson
Players are often advised not to make a song and a dance out of a high-pressure run-chase, but that is exactly what worked for Joe Root in Kandy yesterday.
Root’s unbeaten century guided England to a five-wicket win in the fifth one-day international to pull the series back to 3-2, and he has revealed how he stayed so calm out in the middle.
The 23-year-old has developed a promising partnership with James Taylor, whose crucial 68 set England on their way, and Root says a budding bromance between the pair helped him relax.
He told ecb.co.uk: “I had some great fun out there with James and Ravi in particular.”
“I think we have a good laugh in the middle. We enjoy each other's company and just have a laugh and a joke.
“There were some good songs playing in the background as well, so we have a little sing between overs and take the mick out of each other which keeps us nice and relaxed and, yeah, it was really enjoyable.
“The calmer you can be under pressure is beneficial, so that’s how we’ve managed to do it over the last couple of games and hopefully that can continue to happen throughout the series.”
Root paid tribute to Taylor, after he hit a second consecutive half-century in just his fourth one-day international.
“He’s played extremely well and he made it a lot easier for me today. I couldn’t get off the mark for a while and was very scrappy at the start,” he said.
“The way he played at the other end took a lot of pressure off me from the start…so full credit to the way he played there.”
England’s successful chase would not have been possible, however, had it not been for the bowling performance on Wednesday.
Chris Woakes made history as he became the first Englishman to take six wickets in an ODI twice after his figures of 6-47 helped restrict Sri Lanka to 239.
Root said: “I think they (the bowlers) did a great job. It was a very tricky wicket to play on and when the guys got it in the right areas they were obviously very hard to face.
“Full credit to Chris Woakes as well, to get another six-for – I think he’s got two now of England’s all-time top three (bowling figures) – so that’s fantastic and he should take a lot of confidence from that.
“To restrict that batting line-up to 240 is a fantastic effort and it’s something that we can take a lot of credit from into the next game and the rest of the series.”
Despite the partnerships between Taylor, Root and Ravi Bopara, there was still a tense finish as two wickets fell in the closing overs.
However Root says he was not too worried about the end result, adding: “I was twitchy towards the end, especially when Ravi got out.
“It’s always nice knowing you’ve got players like Morgs (Eoin Morgan) and Jos (Buttler) to come and play the way they can play so you never feel too much pressure knowing that they’re in the wings and ready to come in and smack it.”
“@Markyb24: @joeroot05 this one of @jamestaylor20 ?? #badhairday#viledamoppic.twitter.com/0Hfh4DYN16” Yes what a haircut! @SkyCricket
— Joe Root (@joeroot05) December 11, 2014