Root’s class sees him top ODI MVP

Joe Root tops the PCA England ODI Most Valuable Player Ranking following the conclusion of England’s sixth World Cup fixture against Sri Lanka at Headingley.

Opener Jason Roy sat on top of the pile after England’s third World Cup game, but the Test captain has showcased his considerable talents to move past his teammate, who has not batted in the last three games due to injury.

Root’s class was most evident during England’s thumping 8-wicket victory over the West Indies at the Hampshire Bowl. After being promoted to open as a result of the aforementioned Roy suffering an injury in the field, Root made a sublime 100 not out off just 94 balls to guide his team home with over 16 overs to spare.

Having made a name for himself as something of a lucky charm with ball in hand, Root had earlier removed the dangerous Hetmyer and Holder, both caught and bowled, to return figures of 2-27 from his five overs.

Predictably, the 28-year-old was awarded the PCA MVP for that game, after accruing 37.35 MVP points for his outstanding performance.

In the two games since, Root has made 88 and 57 against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka respectively. His consistency has moved him to the top of the ODI MVP, a healthy 30 points clear of Roy in second.

Whilst Root’s 88 against Afghanistan was an impressive knock, Eoin Morgan’s 148 in the same game was a truly unforgettable one.

The unflappable captain took just 71 balls to reach that figure, hitting a record 17 sixes in the process. Over 100 of Morgan’s runs came from maximums – a feat that had never previously been achieved in ODI cricket.

After what had been a relatively slow start, Morgan’s contribution helped England to a huge total of 397-6. It proved to be well out of Afghanistan’s reach, meaning Morgan earned a bonus MVP point for captaining the winning side.

The MVP formula is designed to reward match-winning performances. Extra points are given, for instance, for hitting a high proportion of your team’s runs, scoring at a rapid rate or captaining the victorious team in any given game.

Morgan benefitted from all three of these metrics to earn 36.26 MVP points, and take home the MVP award for the game against Afghanistan. Despite not batting against the West Indies, he’s moved up to fourth in the ODI MVP after that performance and his 21 against Sri Lanka.

England suffered a disappointing result in their most recent outing against Sri Lanka, but Ben Stokes’ gutsy 82 not out earned him the MVP award on the day. He now sits eighth in the ODI MVP, just behind paceman Jofra Archer, who has been flying the flag for the bowlers.

The squad’s freshest face has taken 15 wickets so far in the World Cup – more than any other player except for Australia’s Mitchell Starc.

Rather than producing a single standout performance, Archer has consistently produced throughout the tournament. He has returned figures of 3-27, 3-29, 3-30, 3-52 and 3-52 against South Africa, Bangladesh, West Indies, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka respectively.

He will be hoping to break into the MVP top five if he continues such form, but will have to displace one of Root, Roy, Woakes, Morgan or Bairstow to do so.

England will look to bounce back immediately in their next game against Australia at Lord’s on Tuesday 25 June. The side has three remaining group stage fixtures to confirm their place as one of the semi-finalists of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

View the England ODI MVP Rankings here.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest MVP news by following the @pcaMVP on Twitter.