Root salutes Thorpe

Joe Root paid an emotional tribute to the late Graham Thorpe after scoring a milestone 33rd Test hundred against Sri Lanka at Lord's on Thursday, saying much of his success was down to the impact of his former coach.

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Root His innings meant equalled Alastair Cook's record for the most Test hundreds by an England batsman, after he came in with the side faltering at 42/2 on the first day of the second Test.

Root immediately pointed to the sky after reaching three figures in a gesture in memory of former England batsman and assistant coach Thorpe, who died aged 55 earlier this month after taking his own life.

A deeply moved Root told reporters: "I've been very lucky to work with a lot of people, whether it be senior players, coaches and mentors.