ROOT RECHARGES THE BATTERIES

JOE ROOT has pulled out of the upcoming Twenty20 triangular in Australia and New Zealand after being persuaded to rest by England coach Trevor Bayliss. England’s Test captain was due to feature throughout this marathon five-month winter tour as one of an increasingly small number of multiformat internationals, but will now depart for a three-week break on Monday after attempting to complete a one-day whitewash in Australia. Along with Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, the 27-year-old will miss four round-robin matches against the two host nations plus a potential final, and fly back to the southern hemisphere ahead of the first one-day international against New Zealand in Hamilton on February 25. Root’s initial resistance to the instruction to skip the T20s was partly down to his concern that seeking an Indian Premier League deal this weekend would lead to doubts as to where his priorities lie. But he has come to view swapping a handful of caps for a lengthy stretch at the world’s leading domestic 20-over tournament as a career decision that could benefit England. He is in Saturday’s auction for the first time and is one of 16 marquee players. ‘There is no point lying about it,’ he said. ‘Of course, there is a money side to the IPL, but that is not why I went into the auction. Playing a block of T20 cricket with that scrutiny and being under pressure against the world’s best players is a great opportunity to develop my white-ball game. ‘With the two major tournaments in white-ball cricket around the corner, that is what going there is all about — gaining experience and working with players who have had huge exposure to Twenty20. ‘I hate missing England games. It was a hard decision that we had to come to. ‘You almost have to look at it as more of an investment for my game and for the England team moving forward. If the IPL adds to my game for the next four or five years, then missing a few games here might be worthwhile. I need to be fresh for the summer ahead.’