Watch as NHS hero Captain Tom Moore from Bedford is invited to ring the Lord’s five-minute bell

England Cricket Captain and Yorkshire first team player Joe Root MBE called war veteran and fundraiser Captain Tom to thank him for his inspirational efforts to help raise millions for the NHS and to share a few surprises of his own.

Joe Root reached out to cricket fan Captain Tom - from Marston Moretaine - to invite him to watch cricket and ring the famous Lord’s five-minute bell once social distancing measures are relaxed. In ringing the bell, Captain Tom will follow in the footsteps of Shane Warne, Sir Ian Botham, Andrew Strauss and Stephen Fry.

In a video released on SPORTbible, Joe said to Captain Tom: "You’re a huge inspiration to me personally and to get the opportunity to sit here and talk to you is fantastic."

The two northerners bonded over being fellow Yorkshire men with Captain Tom saying "there’s nobody better is there" and of course their favourite sport, cricket.

Captain Tom admitted that although he played cricket when he was younger, "I was never a good scorer, I wasn’t anywhere near the class that you’ve been, I could hold a bat and that was about it."

He was however, very willing to come and offer some words of advice to the team when he visits them at a future match: "I’ll have a chat with them and tell them how good you’ve got to be."

He added: "The doctors and nurses and health service deserve every penny that there is because they are certainly in harm’s way every day and they’re doing it very bravely," with Joe Root adding: "So just like you they’re a credit to the nation."

The call was set up as part of SPORTbible's Connected campaign which connects elite athletes with everyday heroes to thank them and offer support and encouragement during these challenging times.