Root is England’s glue, says Morgan

England captain Eoin Morgan heaped praise on batsman Joe Root whose polished century led the team to an emphatic eight-wicket Cricket World Cup victory over West Indies on Friday. Root was pushed up the order to open after Jason Roy sustained a hamstring injury, and he responded with his second century of the tournament as the hosts secured their third win in four matches. “Exceptionally pleased, I think he is now the highest run scorer in the tournament,” Morgan told a news conference.

“He’s scored two hundreds. He’s such an important player for us. He is the glue that holds everything together.” Root struck 11 fours and faced only 94 balls in his 100 not out as England strolled to a target of 213 with nearly 17 overs to spare, fuelling their hopes of winning the World Cup for the first time. “It’s probably a side of his batting that has got better over the last two or three years that people haven’t seen a lot of, his expansive game,” Morgan said.