Joe & Billy Root’s parents: ‘They had a lot of throwdowns in the garden’

“That was the most nervous I’ve been watching any cricket match,” says Matt Root. “I think a couple of bottles of wine helped,” he adds, the hint of a sheepish grin on his face.

“Yes, I was the designated driver that day… ” says his wife, Helen.

You might be forgiven for thinking the Roots are talking about watching their eldest son Joe’s much-­anticipated and oft-discussed first Test century in Australia in the most recent Ashes series.

The 138 not out Root scored in the first innings of the second Test match in Brisbane – a 40th Test ton reeled off in customary classy style in front of a rapt Gabba crowd of English and Australians who rose to him as one when he reached three figures. Root’s typically phlegmatic celebratory shrug under the lights was the perfect way to mark the moment.

But no, that’s not the knock that had Root senior reaching nervously for the merlot. How about his second Test century Down Under that followed a few weeks later, the 160 at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground? Wrong again.

“Both of those centuries were really special but they both came in losing causes,” says Matt. “I’m sure Joe would hand both back to have had a different result in the series.

“Don’t get me wrong, they were special innings. You know what Australians can be like when it comes to cricket… plenty of them were really crowing about the fact that Joe hadn’t scored a hundred out there. It was nice that he was able to shut up all that noise. Joe often lets his bat do the talking.”

Helen says: “It’s got so much easier watching both Joe and [younger brother] Billy as the years have gone on. The most nerve-racking times for watching were when they were starting out and were progressing through each level.”

“You know, you feel so invested in the early days, are they going to be able to handle it when they step up?” adds Matt.

“They were still young then, too,” says Helen. “So I guess you feel a bit more parental about it all. The match Matt is talking about was when Joe made his Yorkshire first-team debut.”

In September 2009, an 18-year-old but notably baby-faced Root scored 63 against Essex in a Pro40 match at Headingley. “He didn’t score particularly quickly and probably contributed to Yorkshire not winning the game!” says Matt, with a smile.

The scorecard does indeed show Root’s 63 came off 95 balls in two hours and 19 minutes at the crease. Essex went on to win by seven wickets with 27 balls remaining.

“But he just slotted in,” says Matt. “You could tell that he was comfortable at that level. The most nervy times were early in their careers. It’s certainly a lot more relaxed nowadays.”

As for Billy, he has scored more than 4,000 first-class runs and currently plays for Glamorgan. He and Joe are both products of Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club, where their dad also played in the 1990s under the captaincy of Graham Bethell – the father of England batting all-rounder Jacob – and alongside a young Michael Vaughan. There must be something in that South Yorkshire water.

“I don’t know, perhaps. It is a funny one,” says Matt. “It’s a great club.”

“I think having that grounding in club cricket has served them all well,” says Helen. “You have to earn your stripes, it’s junior cricket and then fifth and fourth teams, playing with boys and then grown men from all sorts of backgrounds.”

“They also had a lot of throwdowns as kids in the back garden,” says Matt, mock rubbing his shoulder.

Both Root boys were slight growing up, but what they lacked in stature they more than made up for in heart, or “ticker” in today’s cricketing parlance.

Matt recalls the time he was playing for Collegiate at Scarborough when the boys were nine and seven years old. He had to sprint from fine leg to a patch of grass at the side of the opposite boundary to break up a skirmish. Billy had combusted after being bowled second ball by Joe in their pitchside head-to-head and was chasing his gloating older brother around while wielding his cricket bat. Matt shakes his head at the memory. “There was a fair bit of that in the early days.”

Despite the brothers being phenomenally competitive growing up, Matt explains that Billy soon made his peace with the fact that he wasn’t going to usurp his older brother with the bat in hand.

“Joe’s just so streets ahead of everybody else in his generation… Billy was able to acknowledge that very early on but he’s had a very successful career in his own right. He’s won trophies with Notts and Glamorgan and we’ve been there to see him have these wonderful moments, too.”

Cricket is in the Roots’ blood. Matt’s father, Don, is named after Don Bradman and his son tells the tale of how as a teenager his dad bunked off school to watch Bradman and his “Invincibles” play at Sheffield’s Bramall Lane in 1948.

Now 90 years old, Don stayed up late and set early alarms throughout the winter so he could watch his grandson take on the Aussies. Joe has spoken about how much he owes his grandad – the dedication of his 2015 book Bringing Home the Ashes reads: “To my grandpa, Don, for all the time you have given, and miles you have driven, to get me where I am.”

“My mum was there at Headingley when Joe got his first Test century,” says Helen, “and I’ve spent countless matches pushing a pram with one of the grandchildren in it, walking one way around the ground when we need runs and the other when we need wickets.”

Like their eldest lad collecting a couple of runs behind point, both Helen and Matt deflect away any credit for raising two professional cricketers, one of whom can stake a claim to being England’s greatest ever Test batsman. A minimum of fuss is seemingly the Root way.

“It’s been a great pleasure watching them both play, all around the world. We’re so proud of them both on the pitch and off it.”

Photograph by Gareth Copley/Getty Images