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'It felt like you were eating air': Joe Root's strong claim on playing in Mumbai during South Africa clash
England faced a 229-run defeat to South Africa during their game at the Wankhede Stadium last week.
England, the defending champions at the ODI World Cup, endured a poor start to their campaign in the 2023 edition earlier this month when they conceded a 9-wicket loss to New Zealand. It seemed their campaign was back on track when they outclassed Bangladesh in Dharamsala, but a few days later, they faced one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, facing a 69-run defeat at the hands of Afghanistan. Last week, in a crucial match in Mumbai, England faced an annihilation against South Africa, conceding a 229-run loss.
The three crushing defeats mean England are reeling at the ninth position in the table and require a herculean effort to ensure a place in the knock-out stages. In Mumbai, England were pinned to make a strong comeback but a formidable South Africa batting lineup, coupled with harsh weather conditions, made it difficult for the English bowlers to put out their best efforts. In fact, even Heinrich Klaasen – the South Africa star who scored a brilliant century in the game – was seen gasping for breath and taking multiple breaks as he played in hot and humid weather.
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England batter Joe Root has now spoken rather strongly about playing in Mumbai, stating that he has never played in such harsh conditions before.
“I’ve not played in anything like that before. I’ve obviously played in hotter conditions, and probably more humid conditions. But it just felt like you couldn’t get your breath. It was like you were eating the air. It was unique,” Root said.
“You could see it with Klaasen. You could see how much it took out of him, not being able to get back out onto the field,” said Root.
Klaasen didn't come out to field during England's run-chase at all.
“I mean you couldn’t get away from it. You walk out onto the field and your shirt’s soaking wet, and you have a lot heavier breath than you would do, and you know you’ve done your fitness and stuff, it’s not like you’re short on that. So you are very aware of it,” said Root.
England aim to put campaign back on track
Jos Buttler's men will aim to put the losses aside when they take on a struggling Sri Lanka in their fifth game of the group stage. The Lankans did return to winning ways with a strong victory over Netherlands last week, but injury issues have plagued the side with Matheesha Pathirana being the latest to be ruled out of the tournament. Angelo Mathews – the veteran all-rounder – was flown in from Sri Lanka to replace Pathirana.
