Joe Root 'hasn't given up' on England T20 recall despite five-year absence

Joe Root insists he has “not given up” on a recall to England’s T20 team despite a five-year absence from the side.

Root impressed in the recent SA20 competition with Paarl Royals, hitting three half-centuries with a strike rate of 140 as he struck a quicker tempo than his steady approach in red-ball cricket.

In the white-ball arena, Root has featured in just 28 ODIs since the 2019 World Cup final and has not featured for England in T20 since May 2019.

Yet speaking ahead of England’s three-match ODI series against India and the upcoming Champions Trophy, the 34-year-old has not ruled out a return to the shortest format on the international stage, particularly with Test coach Brendon McCullum taking control of the white-ball teams.

“I’ve not thought about international T20 cricket for a long time because I’ve not been involved in it for a long time,” Root said.

“I haven’t given up (on playing T20s for England again).

“I also understand that 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 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.”

Root has worked with Brendon McCullum since 2022 with the Test team (PA Wire)

England’s latest white-ball reset got off to a poor start with a disappointing T20 series defeat to India, but Root sees opportunities for this generation of players to evolve on the international stage.

“I still think with this white-ball team, some of the guys don’t really know how good they could be in the ODI format and T20 cricket,” Root added.

“I think that’s the most exciting factor of it. It’s a lot more established than it was but it has that same sort of feeling as 2015-16, Morgs taking over, how all of a sudden we’re like, ‘What can we actually do? What can we be capable of doing?’

“One of the big draws for me being involved in this white-ball set-up is you don’t know how far it can go and how entertaining and fun it can be, seeing where we’re going to get to.”

Following the three-match series against India, England’s Champions Trophy campaign starts on 22 February against Australia.