Joe Root believes England are tracking well ahead of the 2027 World Cup, despite having to “learn on the job”.
England upset India, the world’s top-ranked ODI side, in Cardiff on Thursday by four wickets to level the three-match series and boost their ICC standings.
Victory lifted them above Afghanistan into seventh place and Root says further development will put England in a “really strong place” ahead of next year’s 50-over World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
“Anyone coming into this team does not have a world of experience and understanding in 50-over cricket because we are not exposed to it any more,” Root said after his unbeaten 99 had ensured Sunday’s Lord’s finale with India would be a series decider.
“There is not that element of grounding before you get to this level that happens elsewhere around the world.
“It’s understanding there are going to be times when guys have to learn on the job, and you have to learn quickly.
“I hope that we get judged on our recent past, where we seem to be doing that really well.
“That first game against Sri Lanka earlier this year, we got things wrong but we adapted and learned very quickly and then ended up winning that series, the first team to do it in four years.
“If we can keep developing and understanding different situations and scenarios, by the time that World Cup comes round we’ll be in a really strong place.
“That’s what we did in the lead-up to 2019, we had a four-year cycle with 15-16 guys who were consistently playing and got a lot of cricket together.
“We haven’t quite got that yet. We’ve got a couple of years but there’s no reason why we can’t, with the resources that we have, learn and develop in a similar sort of manner – and ready ourselves for that South Africa World Cup.”
Root might have fallen tantalisingly short of a 21st ODI century after encouraging Gus Atkinson to finish the job against India – the first England batter in this format to be stranded on 99 – but it was another clear reminder of Root’s importance to England and his enduring ability to influence matches in the ODI arena.
By his own admission, Root “lost the rhythm of the game” after England won the 2019 World Cup, with the post-Covid era of overlapping series cited as one of the factors in an uncharacteristic form drop-off.
Since February 2025, however, he has made four ODI hundreds and his five scores in 2026 read: 61, 75, 111 not out, 76 not out, 99 not out.
“Sometimes you come back into things and you’re not in as good as form as you like,” Root reflected on his indifferent ODI form after World Cup glory.
“It doesn’t work out how you want it to and it can snowball.
“I think more than anything it was trying to get back to the rhythm of the game and understanding what my role looks like in this team. Trying to deliver on that as often as possible.”
