Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ROOT FORCE
Brothers Billy and Joe to do battle in star-studded one-day clash
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE against Yorkshire today is a star-studded affair, but for two men in the dressing rooms it’s personal. The pressure will be on Yorkshire’s England captain Joe Root, 26, to outgun younger brother Billy, 24, in Nottinghamshire’s middle order. There could be up to 18 internationals on show in a series of fabulous matchups at Trent Bridge in the Royal London One-day Cup match. But with a coach filled by relatives travelling down from Sheffield, it is the battle of the Roots which will capture the imagination in their first game against each other at top level. “It really would be something special to play against Joe at Trent Bridge,” said Billy. “We’ve played against each other before in the Yorkshire League when he was playing for the Yorkshire Academy and I was playing for Sheffield Collegiate. “Joe got both myself and our dad out which was annoying, but this would be the first senior level game we’ve played. “There’ll be a few of the family in to watch, I think there is a coach going down and mum and dad will be pretty objective with one son on each side. “A Notts win in any capacity would make it a great day for me, but there’ll be some bragging rights to be had as well.” There is a long tradition of brotherly love in the game with Surrey’s Currans and the Overtons of Somerset on the cusp of England honours. While Joe (below, with his grandad, dad and brother) will be a fixture across all formats for years, it is up to Billy to establish himself with Notts then see if the batting genes can take him further. “Having Joe as my brother has been a great help,” he added. “If I’ve ever struggled, he’s always been great and his brain is a good one to pick, isn’t it? “He’s one of the world’s best players so you can’t go far wrong talking to him about cricket, but I’ve not been getting any help this week! He sent me a text saying, ‘Good luck’, but now we’ll be opponents.” Root Junior made 46 in his List A debut against Worcestershire and should line up alongside Alex Hales, Jake Ball, Stuart Broad and Aussie James Pattinson, while Yorkshire have five men in England’s Champions Trophy squad. “It will be an amazing game of cricket,” he said. “Our internationals are great to have around, the way they talk about the game, you can learn so much so quickly.”