Root putting friendship aside for Stokes clash
Joe Root is bracing himself for a few fiery words from Ben Stokes when two of English cricket's biggest stars go headto-head in The Hundred.
As captain and vice-captain of the England Test team, Root and Stokes are best friends most of the time, but find themselves pulling in opposite directions tonight.
Yorkshire’s Root is the marquee name in the Trent Rockets squad and Durham’s Stokes was Northern Superchargers’ big-name signing, meaning both men are under pressure to perform on their final outing before resuming international duty together.
Seeing the pair face off in the middle is the kind of boxoffice attraction tournament organisers have been dreaming of and Root has promised it will be a lively affair, if they get the chance.
“It will be good fun, but Ben will have a few things to say, I'm sure,” he said. “Whenever we play a practice game or a warm-up game, if I hit him for four he lets me have it. You can tell I wind him up. The friendship goes to one side for half-an-hour.
“I’m sure that will add to it, but I don’t want to upset Ben, so I’ll just try to keep my head down.”
As soon as the game is over and bragging rights secured, Root and Stokes will be back on the same page as they begin plotting India’s downfall in the forthcoming Test series, which begins back at Trent Bridge on August 4.
“Test cricket is still the pinnacle of the game, and it should always be the bedrock,” Root said. “But I don’t think The Hundred is here to challenge it, it’s here to be alongside it. I’d like to think they bounce off each other, that one will drag an audience to the other.”