Image Credit- AP
As he gets ready to take the pitch this week against Gloucestershire in the County Championship’s second round, Joe Root will be playing for Yorkshire for the first time in nearly two years under the red ball.
For the trip to Bristol, Yorkshire confirmed that Root, whose only domestic cricket experience came in the Hundred for Trent Rockets after the Ashes, was part of their 13-man squad. Following the two-month tour of India, Root missed the initial match against Leicestershire. He will play the next four rounds before travelling to Northamptonshire for the seventh round, which starts on May 24. In May 2022, the 33-year-old retired from first-class cricket for his native county.
Yorkshire’s chances of getting promoted are further enhanced by this, as last week they welcomed back Harry Brook for the first of his five-game spell. After withdrawing from the India series due to the death of his grandmother Pauline, Brook had not played since England’s white-ball tour of the West Indies in December. However, he returned to action with a clean 100 off just 69 deliveries. Starting on May 3, Brook’s final game at home will be against Glamorgan. After that, the team will take a rest before England takes on Pakistan in a Twenty20 series that will culminate in the Twenty20 World Cup.
After a lacklustre subcontinent tour in which he amassed 320 runs at 35.55—his lone century coming in the fourth Test as India won 4-1—Root will utilise the upcoming month to hone his skills in preparation for a busy six months. This season, England will host three Test series, the first of which starts on July 10 at Lord’s against the West Indies and Sri Lanka. Before the year ends, they go to Pakistan and New Zealand.
Yorkshire will hope to make the most of the availability of both their stars as they look to return to Division One, having suffered relegation in 2022. They were hamstrung last summer by a 48-point deduction that decimated any hopes of an immediate return but are considered favourites to re-emerge from Division Two this time around.