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Joe Root has not given up on making a return to England’s Twenty20 side, six years on from his last appearance although he admits the team and format have changed significantly during his absence.
Root is set to play in the upcoming three-match one-day international series against India but his future in the shortest form remains a matter of discussion. His case was put forward by sections of the media while England struggled against spin in their 4-1 T20 international series defeat by the defending world champions.
The 34-year-old last played a T20I in May 2019, his spot at No 3 subsequently taken on by Dawid Malan and now in Jos Buttler’s possession. While still open to returning to the 20-over side, Root appeared to make note of a format that continues to demand higher scores and strike rates, with his own game potentially requiring evolution.
“I haven’t given up,” said Root. “But I also understand that if you look at where the T20 game is going and how England have set up in the T20 team for a long time, it’s probably a slightly different player and role that we’ll need in that position.
“The exciting thing is something that I’ve always looked at in my career: how can I evolve? How can I keep getting better? How can I be the best version of the player that I am within my own remit? That’s what I’ll continue to try to do when I get the chance to play in that format.
“I’ve not thought about international T20 cricket for a long time because I’ve not been involved in it for a long time. When I was England [Test] captain, because of the schedule and how it was, and the intensity of it, it meant that if I rested because of the 2019 World Cup, that was the format that I rested in. Off the back of it, guys overtook me and deserved their opportunities and took them. That’s just part and parcel of the game sometimes.”
Root enjoyed a fruitful stay in the SA20 with Paarl Royals last month, hitting three half-centuries in eight innings while striking at 140, improving on a career strike rate of 129. Such franchise stints have been something of a rarity for a player who has a busy Test schedule with England.
“I was out there in Paarl, David Miller is a year older than me,” said Root.” I played with him back in Yorkshire in [2012]. He’s played over 500 T20s. I’ve played barely over 100. So with a year apart, that’s the gap that can happen if you go down slightly different routes these days. I guess that’s just how it’s unfolded for me. I wouldn’t necessarily change any of it.”
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Root had a brief taste of the Indian Premier League in 2023, playing three matches for Rajasthan Royals but batting just once. He did not enter the mega-auction for this year’s tournament, citing a desire to spend time at home with his young family. “I don’t want to miss my kids growing up,” said Root. “I don’t want to not be present at home. As good an experience as the IPL was, I didn’t think it was going to be worth it. If that means not being able to play in it for a few years, absolutely, I can live with that.”
