Root is cleared to play for Yorks in season opener
ENGL AND have made Test skipper Joe Root available for Yorkshire’s first two Specsavers County Championship matches.
The batsman is set to face Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge from April 5, where he is likely to come up against England team-mate Stuart Broad, and then Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl the following week.
However, Yorkshire will be unable to call on the services of leg-spinner Adil Rashid due to a shoulder problem.
But he has been pencilled in for a return to county colours with appearances in the first four Royal London one-day Cup matches between April 17 and 26.
That includes a Roses clash with Lancashire at Emerald Headingley on Easter Sunday (April 21).
The ECB say the England management will discuss Root’s availability for Yorkshire during their 50-over campaign nearer the time, with this subject to his workload heading into the summer.
Root scored centuries in Test and one-day cricket during England’s tour of the West Indies, which finished last night with a third successive T20 win. He also scored 55 in the second T20 win in St Kitts on Friday.
“I’m stating the obvious here, but to have the England lads back with us will be great,” Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale told the club’s website.
“To have the England Test captain back in the group will make a big difference to our dressing room, especially given the fine form that he’s in.
“Joe talks a lot about rhythm, and he’s certainly got that at the moment. Clearly he want to continue that with us ahead of a huge summer of cricket for our national side, who have a World Cup on home soil and an Ashes series to look forward to.”
Jonny Bairstow and David Willey are both on IPL duty, but they have been told they must return to England by April 25, meaning they could yet be available for one or two RL50 matches prior to the home internationals beginning with an ODI against Ireland on May 3.
Meanwhile, Harry Brook is looking to build on an encouraging start to his first-class career.
The former England under 19s cap- tain spent the winter playing grade cricket in Australia for the University of New South Wales in Sydney, scoring 1,001 runs across 21 innings.
“I loved every minute of it (Sydney),” he said.
“To be able to play through the winter and get more experience out there on different pitches and against different players was really good. I felt good at the crease. I felt I batted really well.
“The whole point of going out there was to try and improve and get better as a cricketer and a bloke as well.
“One of my main aims going out to Australia was to improve my patience. I think I’ve come back a more patient cricketer.”