Joe Root: “I was very reluctant to miss this series but it’s important that I am fresh and at my best for the whole summer”
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Joe Root will miss the upcoming T20 tri-series involving England, Australia and New Zealand in order to get some rest and relaxation.
Root captained England in the Ashes, which his side lost 4-0, and is currently participating in the five-match ODI series, in which his side hold an unassailable 3-0 lead.
The England batsman was scheduled to feature in the T20 tri-series as well, but with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) dangling the prospect of taking some time off, Root accepted their offer.
“I hate missing games of cricket for England. It is something that doesn’t really sit well with me either,” Root was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. “You look at the amount of cricket we have got coming up and it was a long, hard decision that me and (head coach) Trevor Bayliss had to come to.
“I was very reluctant to miss this series but it’s important that I am fresh and at my best for the whole summer.
“There is going to be a lot of cricket to be played and I have to make sure that I am on the park and not just on the park but giving myself the best chance to perform consistently.”
Root’s decision to take some time off can also be attributed to the fact that he has entered his name in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.
The 27-year-old will no doubt be one most highly-anticipated players in the auction and is thus likely to fetch a high price.
Root himself admitted that he decided to put his name forth for the IPL auction due to the massive payday that could come his way.
“Of course there is a money side to it, there is no point lying about it,” he said. “That is obviously a benefit of playing in the IPL but it’s not why I went into the auction.
“I really believe playing a block of Twenty20 cricket with that scrutiny, being under pressure for long periods of time against the world’s players in that format would be a great opportunity to develop and learn my white-ball game.
“You almost have to look at it as more of an investment for my game and for all the England team moving forward.
“If being involved in that block of cricket, with everything that tournament brings, is going to add more to my game for the next four or five years then missing a few games here might be worthwhile.”