ROOT READY TO SHINE
We’ll be smiles better, says skipper
JOE ROOT leads England for the first time today determined to have fun in the sun.
Root’s side take on South Africa at Lord’s at the start of the four-Test series and the England skipper says they will play with smiles on their faces.
“I have always said you have a great opportunity to represent England and it’s for such a short period of your life that you need to make sure you enjoy it,” he said.
“I really want to get that across to the players. Every time you go out to play, you are under huge amounts of pressure anyway, and you don’t want to put yourself under any more.
Atmosphere
“If you can offload that and have a bit of fun in the dressing room, then that is what should happen.
“The guys naturally get on well with each other, so it is not something that’s fake, it’s really good for the atmosphere of the dressing room.”
England’s captain will bat at four with his close mate Gary Ballance coming back in at three.
Root is understood to have led the calls for Ballance to be recalled after twice being dropped – and he backed his Yorkshire team-mate.
“I look at how Gary has performed this year and the amount of runs he has scored and he has been phenomenal,” said Root.
“And when he has scored them, it has generally been when the side has been up against it. “He’s desperate to prove a point ® and score some runs in this series. A lot of people have asked questions about the last time he played for England, but I look at his game now, as do the other selectors, and he is a completely different player.”
England lost eight Test matches last year under Alastair Cook and Root added: “I’d like to think we can do better.
“We had a tough year but we learned a lot from that and we are ready to put that right this year.”
South Africa will be no pushovers. Since losing to Sri Lanka in 2006 they have played 19 away series, won 13, drawn five and lost one, to India in 2015-16.
Dean Elgar, standing in as skipper for new dad Faf du Plessis, will try to exploit the change of England captain.
“They have their own insecurities within their team,” said Elgar. “Playing England is always tough but they have new leadership, a few new faces in their batting line-up, and a few injury concerns.”