If not for injury, England's Test captain Ben Stokes would have been playing in the ongoing SA20. With the England Test team not having an assignment in January unusually, most of the players including Zak Crawley, ex-Test captain Joe Root, pacers Matt Potts, and Craig Overton among others who weren't part of the white-ball squad took part in the SA20. Root pulled off an all-timer of a season opening the innings for Paarl Royals, being the third-highest run-getter in the tournament in just eight matches, scoring 279 runs at an average of 55.8 and a strike rate of 140.5.
Hence, it is a surprise that Root hasn't played T20 cricket for England, especially since 2019. However, Root wasn't surprised as he explained the reasons behind it saying that the rise of the format and the T20 leagues around the world happened simultaneously with him becoming the Test captain and the only tie he got to rest was during the T20 assignments.
“It [the rise of T20s] coincided with becoming England captain,” Root told ESPNCricinfo. “When you're the Test captain, the schedule that we have and the amount of Test cricket we play, and with there being the 50-over World Cup in 2019, a lot of the white-ball build-up was focused around getting ready for that. It meant that if I ever had a rest, I missed out on T20 cricket.”
England almost play 10-12 Test matches a year and the Test specialists mostly get rested during the white-ball assignments unless there's a world tournament. Root reckoned that it wasn't anyone's fault but it's just so happened.
“Then other guys came in and performed exceptionally well and I found myself on the outside of the team in that format, and that's not anyone else's fault. It's just the way it panned out for me. It's nice now to get the opportunity to play the format again, and hopefully more and more in the future as well,” Root added.
Root formed a magnificent partnership with Lhuan-dre Pretorius at the top for the Royals and laid the foundation for a win for the Men in Pink in at least three matches. Root himself was a top-scorer in a 200-plus run-chase against the Pretoria Capitals. Since Root was playing T20 cricket after a long time, Root mentioned that it was almost like learning on the job with the game having evolved so much in the last few years.
“I haven't actually played a lot, so it's been a case of trying to recall the things that you've done well and trying to do them as consistently as possible, but also understanding that your game evolves. The T20 format has also evolved a lot but you're playing the game of cricket and it's about problem-solving, just on a much quicker scale than what I've been doing the majority of the time,” Root further said.
There were odd BBL stints, an IPL campaign, one season in the ILT20 and a few matches in the Hundred for the Trent Rockets but Root never had such a long campaign in a T20 tournament and SA20 really lucked out and vice-versa. Root left the SA20 midway for international duty with the ODIs against India and a Champions Trophy scheduled to take place in the next month or so.
Top News
PM Modi-US President Trump meet expected on February 13 in Washington
Deva box office report: Shahid Kapoor-starrer struggles on Monday, mints just over Rs 2 cr on Day 4
Sanjiv Goenka’s RPSG Group secure Manchester Originals in England’s Hundred competition
Latest News
‘Not anyone’s fault that rise of T20s coincided with me…’: Joe Root on limited T20 appearances
Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to visit Mahakumbh today
PM Modi-US President Trump meet expected on February 13 in Washington
Yoga With Swami Ramdev, 4 Feb, 2025 : Swami Ramdev’s 10 mantras… Ayurveda along with yoga will keep the lungs healthy
© 2009-2025 Independent News Service. All rights reserved.
Yoga With Swami Ramdev, 4 Feb, 2025 : Swami Ramdev’s 10 mantras… Ayurveda along with yoga will keep the lungs healthy
Super 100: Watch 100 big news of the morning, in a quick manner
Aaj Ka Rashifal, 04 Feb, 2025: Shubh Muhurat | Today Bhavishyavani with Acharya Indu Prakash | Astro
Haqiqat Kya Hai : CM Yogi monitoring situation since 3:30 am from war room on third and last mahakumbh amrit snan
Muqabla: Will Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia save their seats?
BJP MPs move privilege motion against Sonia Gandhi over remark on President Droupadi Murmu
Uttarkashi shakes up with successive tremors, 9 jolts in 6 days trigger panic among locals
Mumbai shocker: 54-year-old woman raped in empty train at Bandra, accused arrested
Uniform Toll Policy: Govt plans to provide relief to commuters on National Highways | Details here
Keen to reconstitute ‘India-Russia Parliamentary Friendship Group’: Om Birla to Russian delegation
‘El Salvador offered to accept American deportees and violent criminals’: US Secretary of State
Bitcoin plunges amid US trade war fears, rebounds after Trump pauses tariffs on Mexico
Trump grants tariff relief to Mexico for a month after ‘friendly’ talks with President Sheinbaum
Forbes 2025 list of world’s most powerful countries out: Check where India stands
Canada to impose 25 per cent tariffs on these products from the United States | List
Deva box office report: Shahid Kapoor-starrer struggles on Monday, mints just over Rs 2 cr on Day 4
Netizens troll Grammy Awards after four-time winner Zakir Hussain omitted from tributes
Times when Taylor Swift could not win a Grammy Award despite several nominations
Beyonce wins Album Of The Year, Sabrina, Shakira bag major awards | Grammy Awards 2025 winner list
Grammy Awards 2025: Indian-origin artist Chandrika Tandon’s ‘Triveni’ bags Best New Age Album award
Sanjiv Goenka’s RPSG Group secure Manchester Originals in England’s Hundred competition
SA20 Qualifier 1 live streaming details: When and where to watch Paarl Royals vs MI Cape Town clash?
Rohit Sharma set to eclipse Tendulkar’s feat, in line to become 4th Indian to register major record
Jadeja eyes Anderson’s all-time record, on cusp to join elite list of players during England series
Self-belief, controlling the controllables, dogged preparation – Suryansh Shedge’s MO | Exclusive
Gmail users beware! AI-powered hacking threatens 250 crore accounts worldwide
BSNL BiTV offers 450+ Live TV channels for free, as low as Rs 99 plan
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s dull colours criticized for lack of appeal: Fans disappointed
ChatGPT challenges DeepSeek R1, by launching Deep Research AI
TRAI launches new initiative for seamless digital connectivity inside buildings
Budget Session 2025: How key economic bills will shape India’s fiscal landscape? Full details
What is the ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony and what’s its significance in Republic Day celebrations?
ISRO’s 100th mission: How will NVS-02 satellite boost India’s GPS alternative? Explained
Meet Liang Wenfeng, the Chinese entrepreneur behind DeepSeek, the AI App challenging ChatGPT
Himachal scholarship scam: How officials embezzled Rs 250 crore meant for students | Explained
Woman lost 32 kg in 9 months by including these 3 food items in her diet, know what they are
Micro-retirement: Here’s what you need to know about this new career trend popular among Gen Z
Kombucha to processed meat: Foods you should avoid in the evening to get a good night’s sleep
Say goodbye to stomach woes with this prebiotic salad for prolonged relief, know easy recipe
Daliya vs Quinoa: Which is a healthier breakfast?
PSU dividend stocks: From GAIL to ONGC, these shares to trade ex-date this week – Check record date
RBI MPC meeting 2025: Rate cut expected, when and where to watch RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra live
SIP vs lumpsum: Which is better option for investment in mutual funds
Fixed deposit: Follow these steps to maximise your returns
NFO: HDFC Mutual Fund’s new index fund – Check subscription dates and other details
Is screen time and stress contributing to rise of cancer in younger population? Know from expert
World Cancer Day 2025: 5 surprising factors that can increase risk of cancer
Study says severe infections can increase your risk of heart failure
World Cancer Day 2025: Expert debunks common myths about cancer
Unclog your veins with these powerful spices that can help control bad cholesterol naturally