I DON’T BLAME TEST-SNUB DUO
After Hales and Rashid turn their backs on five-day game, England skipper Root says schedule is hurting red-ball cricket
JOE ROOT is refusing to criticise Adil Rashid and Alex Hales for ditching Test cricket – saying it is almost impossible to play all three formats for England.
Ahead of this evening’s fourth ODI against New Zealand, Test captain Root was asked about the pair signing white-ball-only deals for their counties. “I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed,” he said. “I don’t think it would be fair to make an example of those two guys. “There’s a deeper issue that needs sorting out in terms of making it easier to play all three formats and making sure there’s an opportunity for guys to go and play in tournaments around the world and still be able to play redball cricket. “You have to make it more attractive to go and play red-ball cricket somehow.” Root (above) would have been on the road for more than five months this winter had he not been rested for the T20 Tri-Series against Australia and New Zealand.
He added: “There’s a lot of cricket isn’t there? I’m having to miss formats here and there. There’s not a straightforward solution.
“But it will be interesting to know if there are thoughts in place to try to make sure when each format comes around firstly you have the best 11 players playing as much as possible and not having to miss games of cricket.
“You also need to make sure you’re making red-ball cricket really exciting to watch. That is especially the case in Test cricket now, so it does not lose its edge and wilt away.”
The Yorkshireman, expected to be part of an unchanged England team in Dunedin tonight, surprisingly missed out in January’s Indian Premier League auction despite a low reserve price of £166,000.
“I was disappointed,” he said. “The amount of T20 cricket I’m available to play at the moment is minimal and there is a World T20 in a couple of years’ time.”