Joe Root's Struggles: A Lean Summer and LBW Concerns
Joe Root leans back in his chair, offers the hint of a smile and shrugs off the numbers that would spook most mortals.
"I'm not too concerned," he says. "I've got 14,000 runs for a reason."
It sounds defiant. It’s really just a statement of fact.
A giant in a rare lull
By his standards, this has been a lean English summer. Root, England's all-time leading Test run-scorer, has passed fifty only twice and is averaging 29.44 – his second-lowest home average across a 14-year international career. For almost anyone else, it's a decent stretch. For Root, it’s a glitch in a masterpiece.
The dismissals tell their own story. Nine times lbw in his past seven Tests, seven of those this summer. The front pad, the shuffle, the ball nipping back – the pattern is now familiar enough to have its own highlight reel.
Root, though, sees a bigger picture: the moving ball, tricky pitches, a summer where batters across the board have worn the scars.
"I've played this game a long time and I've always found ways of solving those problems and working it through," he told BBC's Today at the Test. "I don't see this as being any different.
"There's a reason why I've got 14,000 runs and a reason why I've played the best part of 15 years at this level."
The lbw narrative grows
The irony is that the lbw “issue” only truly took hold after David Warner tried to plant the seed.
Last summer, the former Australia opener couldn’t resist a jab, suggesting Root would "have to take the surfboard off his front leg" if he wanted success in the Ashes. At that point, the numbers didn’t back him up. From August 2022 to the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne in December, Root was out lbw to seamers only three times in Test cricket.
Then came Boxing Day. Jhye Richardson trapped him in the second innings at the MCG, and something shifted. Since that dismissal, Root has been lbw nine times in 12 innings, every one of them to pace bowlers.
The pattern has sharpened: right-armers, pitching outside off stump, drawing him across, then jagging it back into the pad. Not express pace either. None of those nine dismissals came from the genuine quicks, but from bowlers topping out at around 84mph. The nagging, English-style seamers, not the headline-grabbing firebrands.
Root knows it. He’s not hiding from it. But he’s not losing sleep over it either.
"Of course it's frustrating that there's sort of a trend," he said. "There are probably four umpires' calls within that, which could have gone the other way, and the ball is probably deviating more than it ever has.
"You try and be realistic and understand where everything's at, but also be aware of what you need to do to keep improving and keep getting better. I'm pretty sure I'll get through the other side. I'm not too concerned about that."
A tough summer for batters – and a word on the ball
Root has been quick to underline the difficulty of batting in England this season. The ball has swung, seamed and misbehaved. Edges haven’t just carried, they’ve flown.
He also raised an eyebrow at what he believes is a tweak in the Dukes ball.
"The balls have been different this summer," he said. "I think there is a different lacquer. They were worried about it going out of shape. They are denting surfaces more."
Dukes, contacted by the BBC, denied changing their process. Root’s view, though, reflects what many batters have felt: the ball is biting harder, staying harder, and punishing even small errors.
For a player who has built his career on precision, that margin for error matters.
Root’s response: work, adapt, repeat
If there is a constant in Root’s career, it is his refusal to stand still. Technique has evolved, scoring areas have shifted, but the method – hard work and relentless problem-solving – has stayed the same.
"You're never given anything in this game," he said. "You have to work for everything. You have to keep working hard and I'll certainly keep doing that.
"You're constantly going to get challenged and you're constantly going to have to look to evolve and learn, but that's never been something I've shied away from and I certainly won't be doing moving forward."
Those who know him best see no reason to panic. Former England captain Michael Vaughan, who watched Root’s rise from Yorkshire prodigy to global great, has seen this movie before.
"He's always overcome problems and I'm pretty sure he'll overcome this one," Vaughan said. "It is an issue because it's happening on a regular basis, but he's had issues in the past that he's managed to come back from. There's no question he'll be fine in time."
A champion at a crossroads – or just a bump?
Strip away the noise and this is where Root stands: 14,208 Test runs, second only to Sachin Tendulkar in the all-time list. A home summer below his own towering standards. A cluster of lbw dismissals that analysts and opponents will pore over.
For Root, it is another puzzle to solve. Another phase to manage. Another stretch of tape to study late at night.
He has built a career on answering questions. The next one is already waiting: how long before the front pad moves, the angle changes, and the lbw chorus falls silent again?
