Root wants England to have a successful summer

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Joe Root is hoping that England can continue their run of good form during, what he described as, an “exciting summer of Test cricket”.

After beating South Africa 2-1 in a four-match Test series in December to January and reaching the final of the World Twenty20 earlier this month, where England lost in heart-breaking fashion, Root wants the team to have a successful campaign when they host Sri Lanka and Pakistan this summer.

“Obviously when you get to a final it’s all about winning,” Root told Sky Sports. “Unfortunately we were unable to do that but the effort we put in and the experience we have gained from that is going to stand us in great stead moving forward. A lot of guys have gained a lot of confidence and hopefully we can take that forward into an exciting summer of Test cricket.

“We’ve had a pretty successful winter with winning away in South Africa and getting to the final of the Twenty20 World Cup and there are a lot of exciting young players that are putting their name forward for selection for this Test series. And then when the ODI’s kick in, hopefully we can take that form forward from the Twenty20 into that.”

England’s series against Sri Lanka will begin on May 19 and consist of three Tests, five ODIs and a one-off Twenty20 International. In regards to their series against Pakistan, it will start on July 14 and include four Tests, five ODIs and a one-off Twenty20 International.