bowler. In 1926 Root took 7 for 42 against the Australians on a pitch so dead as to be quite unsuited to him. Though he was less effective than previously in county cricket (soft pitches may have played a part), Root played three Test matches for England against Australia that year. Unusually he was unable to bat in any of the three tests, due to rain interruptions and the depth of the England batting. Root still holds the record for the most Test Matches in a career without ever batting. Later years In 1927 Root took 145 Championship wickets as the County won only one of thirty fixtures. The batsman's pitches of 1928 resulted in an expensive yield though he did achieve the double for the only time in his career. Root's 146 wickets in 1929 was almost triple the next best return by his teammates. In 1931 he took 9 for 23 against Lancashire, representing the best bowling ever achieved for Worcestershire. Root declined rapidly in 1932 and lost his place. Apart from one match for Sir L Parkinson's XI in 1933, Root retired from first-class cricket after this. He spent some time as coach to Leicestershire, and also continued to play club cricket in the Lancashire League. He also remained a keen observer of the international game, and was unimpressed by Australian protests against Bodyline, saying that their players should stick to playing with tennis balls if they could not learn how to play it. Root also wrote one well-known book about the life of professional cricketers, A Cricket Pro's Lot (1937). As an umpire Root stood as an umpire in 35 first-class matches between 1947 and 1949. Bowling method After Root joined Worcestershire, he changed his bowling style to deliver fast-medium in-swingers with a leg trap of up to five fielders. An illustration appears in the 1926 Cricketer of this employed against Australia. There is speculation that it may have influenced the thinking of Douglas Jardine when he was contemplating the use of bodyline against Don Bradman. Current regulations render this illegal. Root died in a Wolverhampton hospital in 1954. Notes 1890 births 1954 deaths Derbyshire cricketers England Test cricketers English cricketers Worcestershire cricketers English cricket umpires People from Somercotes Cricketers from Derbyshire Players cricketers English cricketers of 1919 to 1945 North v South cricketers Sir L. Parkinson's XI cricketers British military personnel of World War I