It’s Cup not cash for Root

NO REGRETS: Joe Root

from DEAN WILSON JOE ROOT has insisted he is not having second thoughts about his decision to skip next year’s Indian Premier League.

The England captain is happy to stick around and concentrate on being in prime condition for the World Cup and the Ashes.

Root missed out on a lucrative spot in the IPL last time round after entering the auction for the first time and admitted his frustrations at not being picked up.

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly dropped a hint with a tweet directed at Delhi Daredevils owner Parth Jindal after Root’s century in the second Test against Sri Lanka.

It said: “What a performance from Joe Root and England on that surface... one of the best Test hundreds one will see on a pitch which is turning square”.

Keen

Vice-captain Jos Buttler is set to return to the tournament in 2019 and the pair will link up for a Big Bash stint with Sydney Thunder at the end of this year. But for the moment Root looks set to resist the riches on offer.

The 27-year-old is keen to play in the IPL but now his priority is to make sure he is not burnt out.

Root said: “Making sure guys are fresh and prepared for next year is hugely important.

“We need to make sure we’re all looked after and guys feel like they’re doing everything the right way to make sure we’re in the best place possible across the board and across formats.

“Hopefully everyone is in a really good position going into the start of the year – including me.”

Root praised the input of head selector Ed Smith in helping turn round a team thumped 4-0 in the Ashes just over a year ago, to one that took an unassailable 2-0 lead into the third Test against Sri Lanka, starting today in Colombo.

He was the driving force behind Buttler’s return to the five-day team and has championed the causes of Sam Curran and Keaton Jennings.

Root said: “Ed’s been very open to doing things differently from the outset.

“And when we’ve said we were going to do things a certain way here, and when we selected the squad, it allowed us to play in that manner.

“We’ve made some bold selections and they’ve generally come off well.”