ROOT: I WON’T DITCH T20
Joe’s keen to play on in all formats
Joe Root returns for england today admitting he is struggling to keep up with twenty20’ s in- crowd but determined to prove he still belongs in all formats.
the first of three one- day internationals against India at trent Bridge sees Root restored to the england middle order after being dropped for the first time in four years in the t20 decider.
And even though he accepts it is difficult to find the time and opportunities to maintain his status as a multi-format player, he is adamant he will not give up on the t20 game.
‘ Until there’s a really good block for me to go and play t20 cricket somewhere in a domestic tournament it’s going to be hard to put a string of games together and really put my case across,’ Root admitted. ‘ But I’m fully confident in the ability I have in that format. I’ve proven in the past that I can perform in t20 cricket and I don’t see it as a closed door.
‘I’ve just got to make sure I keep putting the work in to take the chances I get to keep my name as current as I can. Ultimately it’s got to fit around playing for england.
‘the priorities have to be the 50- over World Cup and the big test series we have, culminating in the Ashes next year.
‘So if something fits into place for twenty20 that’s fantastic, but if not I’ll find a way. I want to play a part in all three formats.’
For now Root will concentrate on the 50-over game that suits him so much better and a Royal London series between the best two oneday sides in the world that will fully test england’s status as World Cup favourites.
‘I’m hungry to score big runs,’ said Root. ‘I’ve been quite quiet so far this summer but this is a great chance to go out and do something special.’
england did something special when they played in Nottingham last month, smashing a world record 481 for six against Australia on their way to a 5-0 whitewash. But one of england’s stars of that day, century-maker Alex Hales, could well miss out because of the return of fit-again Ben Stokes.
‘It’s a big series and gives us the chance to put down a marker,’ added Root. ENGLAND: Roy, Bairstow, Root, Morgan (capt), Stokes, Buttler (wkt), Moeen, Willey, Plunkett, Wood, Rashid. INDIA: Dhawan, Sharma, Kohli (capt), Rahul, Iyer, Dhoni (wkt), Pandya, K Yadav, Kumar, U Yadav, Chahal. Umpires: Tim Robinson (England) and Ruchira Palliyaguruge (Sri Lanka).