I’VE LEARNT MY LESSON AND WILL STAY CALM, SAYS ROOT

JOE ROOT will head to his home ground for the first Test next week admitting he regrets his role in the fiery finale to Sri Lanka’s last visit to Headingley. Root (below) clashed angrily with Angelo Mathews on the last day of the 2014 Test in what became a pivotal moment in an historic Sri Lankan victory. Root says he will handle it differently if there is a repeat when Sri Lanka captain Mathews leads his side in the three-match series, starting next Thursday. ‘There were a few nasty verbals towards me and I just expressed that I wasn’t very happy,’ said Root. ‘It’s part of Test cricket and I probably could have handled it a bit better, but sometimes you need confrontation to get you going.’ Root insists there will be no hard feelings as England look to avenge that shock 1-0 series loss. ‘I don’t hold any grudges with anyone who said anything to me then,’ said Root at the launch of this season’s NatWest Twenty20 Blast. ‘They were playing hard Test cricket and there’s been plenty of worse situations on the field I’ve been involved in. ‘I think it makes a good spectacle. You want to see players passionate about playing for their country, but there’s a line you don’t cross. ‘It’s what happened on that occasion and I’m sure this summer there’ll be plenty of feisty incidents. You have mutual respect for each other and, as long as you don’t go too far, there’s not an issue.’ Meanwhile, newcomer Jake Ball met Trevor Bayliss for the first time yesterday but is not sure the England coach knew who he was. ‘I passed him, got my England kit and he said “it’s Jake, isn’t it?” ‘It wasn’t how I planned it to go but we then had a nice chat.’

For more information and tickets see www.ecb.co.uk/natwestt20blast