Former England Test captain Joe Root was dismissed for just one run against an England Lions B side in what will likely be his only time in the middle before the Ashes series begins in Perth next Friday.
But fear not.
The 34-year-old will still come away from England’s lone warm-up match with a hundred, of sorts, thanks to a woeful spell with the ball on day one.
With the England Lions batsmen scoring freely in the three-day practice match at Lilac Hill, and star English pacemen Mark Wood leaving the field through injury, Root was asked to send down 14 overs—and was absolutely caned conceding a whopping 117 runs at more than eight runs an over.
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As has been well publicised, Root is yet to score a Test century with the bat in his three visits to Australia.
Alas, his chance to build some much-needed confidence ahead of the first Ashes Test next week lasted just 12 balls on Friday before he was caught after mishitting a pull shot off paceman Matthew Potts.
Compounding Roots’ woes with the bat, fellow England star Harry Brook also missed out, bowled for just two runs after launching an ill-advised charge down the pitch and being unceremoniously bowled.
Root and Brook are currently ranked one and two in the ICC Test batting rankings.
Fourth-ranked Steve Smith is the only Australian in the top ten.