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Joe Root’s Test and ODI workload threaten to undermine the development of a player who ought to be central to England’s World T20 plans in 2020

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin05-Mar-2018Joe Root admits he is stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to his T20 career. Though he is desperate to play more of the format, fearing he will get left behind in the fastest-growing version of the game, he was rested for the recent tri-series in Australia and New Zealand and also overlooked for an IPL deal.Prior to missing out at the auction in late January, Root himself had admitted unease at how it might look after he was withdrawn from England’s T20 squad amid workload concerns, while still eyeing his first trip to the IPL.However, he is more worried about his development in a format that is often the one to make way when his international commitments are trimmed back, given that he is Test captain and vital to the one-day side at No. 3. Furthermore, his England duty limits his T20 Blast time with Yorkshire: since 2012 he has played just five T20 matches for his county. But despite this, in T20Is he averages 39.10 with a strike-rate of 128.76 – only two players who have had at least 20 innings have a better average than Root.”The reason I wanted to go out there was to play more T20 cricket, it wasn’t to go and earn as much money as possible,” Root said. “I’m not in that position. I’m looking to try and develop my white-ball game as much as possible. The amount of T20 cricket I’m available to play at the moment is minimal and there’s a World T20 in a couple of years’ time and I thought it would be a great opportunity to get some good experience in a fantastic tournament.”It was disappointing but it’s also very understandable. Sides have a clear idea of what they want the make-up of their team to look like and they build around that. For me, I wasn’t going to fit into any one of those teams, which is slightly disappointing, but there’s not really much you can do.”There were likely to have been other factors in Root’s non-selection for the IPL, not least the fact that he wouldn’t have been available for the closing stages of the tournament due to England’s Test series against Pakistan. It’s not until 2020, and the new structure to the English season, that England’s red-ball players will get a free run at the IPL.From a cricketing point of view, Root did not believe there was anything else he could do. “It’s hard to do that without playing,” he said. “It’s completely out of my control. All I can do is when I play T20 cricket is just make sure I’m firstly doing everything I can to win and score as many runs as possible.”I’m not going to go into any game thinking ‘If I play well here I could get an IPL deal at the end of it’. I’m going into that game to do the best job I can to win the game of cricket. If, down the line, I get opportunities that would be great – I’m sure I’d benefit from it. But if that’s not to be then so be it.”Root needed some persuading to miss the recent tri-series, having rebuffed Trevor Bayliss’s initial suggestion of a rest to be included in the squad. In the end, though, Bayliss had his way and Root returned home for two weeks before flying back out for the one-day series in New Zealand.”It was a long discussion about that tri-series and I was desperate to play because of that very reason – I want to make sure I’m playing as much as possible in that format so that I’m giving myself the best chance when that World T20 comes around,” he said. “But also, I’m mindful of the amount of cricket we have got coming up and, with the World Cup coming up next year in 50-over cricket and being Test captain now, it seemed like the right time to have a small break and ensure I didn’t burn out over the course of what is going to be a very busy summer and back end of this winter.”Root, a player who, on merit, would be involved in all three formats, is a prime exhibit for the ongoing debate about workload and schedules. He does not have a magic solution but, even amid a debate about his T20 career, is concerned that whatever way the game heads, it protects red-ball cricket.”You need to make sure you’re making red-ball cricket really exciting to watch, whether that’s at the ground or on telly and making it as appealing as possible to bring people to watch it,” he said. “That’s especially the case in Test cricket now, so it doesn’t lose its edge and wilt away.”

Liam Livingstone and Joe Root were the only England batsmen to really shine against the pink ball and batting coach Graham Thorpe said it was a reminder of the performances needed

Andrew McGlashan at Seddon Park15-Mar-2018England had gone into their four days of practice in Hamilton treating it as a Test match. Halfway through, after finishing the two days with the pink ball, they will be hoping things go better at Eden Park next week.In truth, it was always going to be difficult to replicate any sense of intensity in this mish-mash of a fixture, which is essentially glorified middle practice where teams just bat all day. Regardless of how England fare in the two Tests, the game as a whole really needs to address the lack of quality warm-up fixtures for touring sides.Still, and with those caveats in mind, it has not been an impressive two days for England. With the bat the New Zealand XI recovered from 30 for 5, then with the ball managed to take 14 England wickets on the second day, dismissing the likely Test top three of Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman and James Vince twice.Liam Livingstone, who impressed with 88 on his first appearance in whites for the senior side, and captain Joe Root were the only two players to reach fifty (Root’s in his second knock of the day). Alastair Cook, though, looked in reasonably good order and Vince settled second time around.Livingstone, the Lancashire captain, remains unlikely to feature in the Test series and batting coach Graham Thorpe said the fact he was the standout performer was a reminder to the established top order that they don’t have much time to get into shape.”The first two sessions were indifferent for us but it was about getting the guys up to speed and making them aware they’ve got a Test next week,” Thorpe told . “A few of them will be disappointed they didn’t spend longer at the crease.”But Liam Livingstone played very well. He’s been given an opportunity here and has fitted in very well. He’s not in the potential starting XI but he’s shown the head coach what he’s capable of and that’s what you want. For a few of the guys it’s a reminder, a bit of a kick up the backside, that you’ve got to get up to speed pretty quickly.”Before the tour Livingstone, who played two T20Is against South Africa last year, told ESPNcricinfo he was more comfortable as a first-class player. He admitted the day hadn’t gone as planned for England, but was satisfied with his own performance in his first knock since rolling his ankle playing football on the Lions tour of the Caribbean.”It was a bit of a tough day really,” he said. “But a few of us have got what we wanted out of the day. Obviously a few boys have still got another two days to go – so I hope they can get what they need from those.”I was obviously pretty nervous coming on a first England Test tour but I settled in very quickly and felt really good going out to bat today. I felt really relaxed, which is a good thing. It’s been down to the lads who made it really easy for me to settle quickly.”It would probably take an injury for him to come into contention for either Test, so he is keen just to soak up as much experience as he can over the next few weeks.”It’s my job to come out and score as many runs as I can when I get the chance,” he said. “I’m just here with open ears and open eyes to learn off the best players in the world, which we have in our dressing room. It’s a great experience for me whether I play or not. It’s everyone’s dream to play Test cricket and it may not happen this trip, but it’s been great fun getting in and around the lads in this environment.”This match has also been a chance for players in the New Zealand XI to add to their credentials. On the opening day it was Tom Blundell and Kyle Jamieson, then, with the ball, the pace bowlers all impressed with 19-year-old Nathan Smith claiming the handy trio of Livingstone, Cook and Jonny Bairstow. Seth Rance, who has played two ODIs and four T20s for New Zealand, also took three, striking with the new ball at either end of the day.”You watch those guys on TV, then you go out and are bowling and batting against them, so it’s pretty special,” Rance said. “You have to pinch yourself and take time to enjoy the moment, but at the same you want to do well and push your case for higher honours.”The players involved in these first two days who are in the New Zealand Test squad – Tom Latham, Jeet Raval, Henry Nicholls and Colin de Grandhomme – now head to Mount Maunganui for a two-day training camp. Their replacements, and those that remain such as Rance, now have two days with the red ball to try and make life difficult for England again.

England’s focus may be elsewhere at end of long season, but for hosts, this is the be-all-and-end-all

Andrew Miller16-Sep-2025

Big picture: Big-ticket visit, but small beer for visitors

It’s a state of affairs that sums up the imbalances of international cricket. England and Ireland are about to play their first-ever bilateral game of T20 cricket – even though the format has consumed the sport in the course of the past two decades – at a moment in the respective itineraries of the two nations that could scarcely be more polarized.On the one hand, there’s the visitors England, girding their loins for one final push after an exhausting home season comprising a five-Test series against India, while already casting their eyes forward to the single biggest date on their 2025 calendar: November 21, and the start of their legacy-defining Ashes campaign.Despite the notable pick of Jacob Bethell as captain, they’ve arrived in Dublin with something close to their first-choice XI, or at least the version that took the field with such stunning success in their most recently completed match, against South Africa at Old Trafford last week.Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett were scarcely missed while Phil Salt and Jos Buttler were blazing England towards that record 304 for 2, but they remain in mothballs alongside the regular captain Harry Brook and Jofra Archer – each of whom, with as much respect as can be mustered in such circumstances, has bigger fish to fry in the coming months. As indeed has the head coach, Brendon McCullum, who has already flown home to New Zealand.And then, there’s the hosts Ireland – for the most part exiles in their own land, given how rarely they are able to attract the quality of opposition that justifies the outlay required to accommodate them. This three-match series is their biggest ticket since India popped over for three T20Is in August 2023 (one of which was abandoned).Sure enough, Malahide has rolled out its temporary stands (at considerable expense) to take the ground’s capacity to around 4,000 for these three games. Happily, Friday and Sunday are already sold out, while Wednesday’s series opener should be at least 80% full, with tickets still available. Given that last year’s visit by Australia was canned on the grounds that even those broadcast rights couldn’t have covered Cricket Ireland’s costs, their financial tightrope is real and terrifying.For both teams, however, this series remains a key staging post for a significant and looming peak. England’s thoughts will have to turn to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka almost before they’ve completed their Ashes comedown, and such are the reasons why experimentation for this leg has been relatively limited, even if the conditions in Malahide will be as far removed from those in the subcontinent in February as can be imagined.For Ireland, however, that focus will be nothing less than full-bore. So much of their raison d’etre revolves around ICC events, from the long and anxious qualification bids that precede them, to the crucial exposure and funding that their moments on the big stage provide. But here, in a slender weather-threatened five-day window, that stage has at long last come back to their own shores.

Form guide

Ireland LLWLL (last five T20Is, most recent first)

England WLWWW

In the spotlight: Jordan Cox and Ross Adair

All he ever seems to get are scraps from the table, but to Jordan Cox’s immense credit, he has not yet been consumed by frustration at an international career that simply cannot stick a landing. The false starts have been numerous – most gallingly the broken thumb that robbed him of three guaranteed Tests in New Zealand last winter – while his two previous T20I appearances, against Australia last year, were – just like this potential recall – tacked onto the end of a long international summer. But his belated call-up to the squad is entirely on merit, after his MVP displays for Oval Invincibles in the Hundred. Given half a chance, he is still hungry to make the most of it.At the age of 31, and having parked his previous career in rugby union, Ross Adair is a significant bolter for this winter’s T20 World Cup. His last-but-one international innings was a storming knock of 100 from 58 balls as Ireland beat South Africa in Abu Dhabi this time last year, and as he told ESPNcricinfo this week, the explosive nature of T20 cricket means there are plenty of transferrable skills from his previous incarnation as a winger.

Team news: Calitz, Baker in line for debuts

Ireland could hand a maiden cap to Ben Calitz, the 23-year-old Canada-born batter, with Paul Stirling, their captain, saying they were “crying out” for a left-hander in their middle order. Their bowling stocks have taken a hit with Josh Little and Mark Adair both absent for this series – Little has played just once for Middlesex in two months as he nurses a side injury. Matthew Humphreys is set to lead the attack once more, after impressing in his only outing against West Indies in June.Ireland: (possible) 1 Paul Stirling (capt), 2 Ross Adair, 3 Harry Tector, 4 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 5 Ben Calitz, 6 George Dockrell, 7 Curtis Campher, 8 Barry McCarthy, 9 Graham Hume, 10 Matthew Humphreys, 11 Craig Young.Sonny Baker seems in line for a maiden T20I outing, and ideally a less brutal return to England colours, after being launched for 76 runs on his wicketless ODI debut against South Africa earlier this month. Cox is the obvious replacement for Brook in the middle-order, with England likely to persevere with their spin-heavy attack in preparation for the T20 World Cup.England: (possible) 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell (capt), 4 Jordan Cox, 5 Sam Curran, 6 Tom Banton, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Liam Dawson, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Luke Wood, 11 Sonny Baker.

Pitch and conditions

Dublin in early autumn is unlikely to be the sort of batting paradise that England encountered in that Old Trafford contest. Stirling predicted conditions would be as “alien” to those at next year’s World Cup as you could imagine: “September in Ireland is going to be green, it’s going to nip a little bit, and it’s going to be slightly slow.” The weather for Wednesday is mostly set to be clear, though torrential overnight rain is anticipated, which may well influence the decisions at the toss.

Stats and trivia

• England and Ireland have played only twice before in the T20I format – at the T20 World Cups in 2010 (then the World T20) and 2022. Ireland memorably won the second of those at the MCG and might well have won the first but for a washout. England, remarkably, recovered from those set-backs to claim the title on each occasion.
• At 21 years and 329 days, Jacob Bethell is set to become the youngest captain in England’s history, beating the mark currently held by Monty Bowden, who was 23 and 144 days when he led England against South Africa at Cape Town on the Test tour of 1888-89.

Quotes

“It was fantastic viewing… Hopefully it’ll be a bit different than Old Trafford, where the pitch didn’t seem to be doing much. Coming here, it might be a bit slower, it might do a bit more, and hopefully we can catch a team off-guard that way if things go our way – maybe win the toss and go from there.”
“I’ve played with Paul Stirling myself, and I’ve seen how destructive he is at the other end. He’ll be someone we’ll be looking to target early and try to get him walking back into the sheds.”

Lungi Ngidi might return to the XI for the next fixture, against New Zealand on Wednesday

Alan Gardner in Cardiff16-Jun-2019If you thought you heard a rumbling noise coming from the Welsh valleys late on Saturday, it might just have been South Africa finally clearing their throat and announcing themselves at the World Cup. Okay, it could have been the Elton John concert taking place in Cardiff that same night, but South Africa, at the very least, are still standing in this competition.Converting one win from five into a semi-final spot remains a task fraught with difficulty, not least because South Africa will likely have to beat the two teams currently sitting top of the table: Australia and New Zealand. It is Kane Williamson’s unbeaten Black Caps up next, in Birmingham on Wednesday.”Today we put our peg in the ground,” captain Faf du Plessis said after Afghanistan had been brushed aside with a much-improved performance – although his team was rarely stretched by opponents low on confidence themselves. There were signs, certainly, of South Africa finding their spark with the ball, though Chris Morris, who claimed 3 for 13 from 6.1 straightjacketing overs, hinted that more improvement would be needed against New Zealand.WATCH (India only): Highlights of Imran Tahir’s spell against Afghanistan“They are one of the favourites, to be honest,” Morris said. “They have got a really good team. Well-balanced, well-led, and I don’t want to call them dark horses because they deserve more than that. They are a really good, world-class team. Our disciplines are going to be have to even tighter against them because there’s nowhere to hide from those guys. They are that good. They’ve got a seriously good bowling attack, a seriously good batting line-up. Destructive batting line-up. If they get going, they are difficult to stop. We are going to work quite hard in the next few days. We will have to be at our best to beat those guys.”It’s pretty simple. We have to win. There’s no two ways about it. Faf is spot on in saying it’s a quarter-final every time. We have to win. That possibly could bring out the best in us because we know there’s nowhere to slip up. Slip up now and we are done.”The last time South Africa and New Zealand met at the World Cup, in 2015, we got one of the standout encounters of the competition, as Grant Elliott’s penultimate-ball six left Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers and their team-mates bereft once again.There is no Steyn or de Villiers this time – as anyone taking even passing notice of the first fortnight of South Africa’s World Cup would know – but there is something to build on. Andile Phehlukwayo went as far as to say that they “mentally have the upper hand” over New Zealand, having beaten them in both of their bilateral series since 2015, though it seemed more the confidence of youth rather than an attempt to ramp up the pressure (since we all know how that has tended to turn out for South Africa).”We’ve played against New Zealand a couple of times, and I think the last time we were there we won [and] against them at home, so I think mentally we already have that upper hand,” he said. “Watching KG [Kagiso Rabada] running up and standing at mid-off and to see him bowling so well, and being unlucky at times – definitely, an unbelievable spell is coming from him. To see Bueran [Hendricks] bowl so well today was also unbelievable, coming in for Dale Steyn. Hopefully another clinical bowling performance like that comes about for us.”South Africa’s attack could be further strengthened for the Edgbaston clash by the return of Lungi Ngidi, who has been working his way back to fitness after suffering a hamstring injury in their second match of the tournament. Rabada is also arguably yet to fire to his fullest, aside from a searing spell against India, which will likely mean trouble for someone at some stage.Concerns around the batting haven’t entirely been dispelled, with Hashim Amla looking far from fluent in eking out 41 from 83 balls in a low-intensity run chase again Afghanistan; following his concussion after being hit by Jofra Archer in the opening game, he will doubtless find his reflexes being tested again by the rapid Lockie Ferguson. But the Protea fire was warming up again by the time Phehlukwayo set an emphatic seal on victory by thumping six into River Taff (it went like a rocket, man).”The vibe has never changed,” Morris said. “We know we’ve lost, we haven’t played our best cricket but the vibe has never changed. The vibe has been gun. It’s a World Cup so what aren’t you happy about.”

Ahead of the Ashes, Australia offspinner says Shoaib Bashir, England’s current No. 1 spinner, “has been okay”

Alex Malcolm31-Jul-2025Australia’s greatest ever offspinner Nathan Lyon believes that left-arm spinner Jack Leach is still England’s best spinner, and says offspinner Shoaib Bashir, England’s currently injured No.1 spinner and likely Ashes tourist for 2025-26, “has been okay”.Speaking at a Cricket Australia sponsorship announcement in Sydney on Thursday, Lyon said former England seamer James Anderson had revealed to him that Bashir had been selected to try and replicate what Lyon does in Australia. But Lyon believes Leach is still the best spinner England has.”I obviously played with Jimmy Anderson last year at Lancashire, and they basically said that they’re picking Bashir to do what I do,” Lyon said. “So I took a little bit of pride out of Jimmy respecting a little bit of what I’ve been able to do in my career. But Bashir has been okay.Related

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“Jacob Bethell is playing this Test match [at The Oval against India], and he looks like he’ll take up the spin bowling from Liam Dawson. But in my eyes, Jack Leach is still their best spinner.”Leach, 34, has not played for England since last year’s tour of Pakistan, where he had a modest series compared Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who spun Pakistan to victory in the final two Tests. Leach’s return of 16 wickets at an average of 31.43 and a strike rate of 50.75 in three Tests in that series were still well ahead of Bashir’s nine wickets at 49.55 and 79.44, respectively.England have since committed to Bashir as the No.1 spinner across their last three series – against New Zealand, Zimbabwe and India. When he suffered a series-ending finger injury in the Lord’s Test of the ongoing series against India, Liam Dawson returned as England’s sole spinner for the fourth Test in Manchester after eight years in the Test wilderness. Dawson has since been left out for the fifth and final Test at The Oval, with England picking four fast bowlers as well as Jacob Bethell as a part-time left-arm spin option in place of Dawson.Leach took 6 for 63 in his most recent outing, for Somerset against Durham at Taunton, in what turned out to be a two-day game on a pitch that was described as “appalling” by Ian Botham. Leach is currently the fourth-leading wicket-taker, and the leading spinner, in division one of the County Championship this season, with 39 wickets at 24.76, including two six-wicket hauls.Jack Leach played three Tests on the last Australia tour in 2021-22•Getty Images

Leach played three Tests in Australia on the 2021-22 Ashes tour, taking just six wickets at 53.50, and was left out of the final Test in Hobart. Instead, England picked four seamers in a pink-ball game where Lyon did not bowl a single delivery as Australia won inside three days.Bashir, meanwhile, was sent on the England Lions tour of Australia earlier this year to play three four-day games against Cricket Australia (CA) XI and Australia A, although none of them was played at Test venues.He returned match figures of 2 for 91 and 1 for 109 in the two fixtures against the CA XI in Brisbane. Against Australia A in the unofficial Test at Cricket Central in Sydney, which the Lions lost by an innings, Bashir got 1 for 74 in the only innings he bowled.Lyon himself was left out of Australia’s most recent Test match, against West Indies in Jamaica, as the selectors opted for four quicks in a pink-ball game that ended inside two-and-a-half days. But he believes spinners will have their share of role to play in the Ashes in Australia despite the pitches being very seam-friendly in recent years.”It is a massive role, and it can be a massive challenge for people who haven’t done it in the past in these conditions,” Lyon said. “But I’m not going to let my secrets out so they come out and perform well out here. Our guys know how to play spin really well in this country. That’s probably what helped me produce my skill to where it is at the moment. I know I’ll keep trying getting better, and we’ll see how their spinners go.”

Jackson Bird and Michael Neser also claimed a wicket apiece on a day cut to 33 overs by rain and bad light

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2019Sussex 118 for 5 (Pattinson 3-38) v Australia AJames Pattinson made an early impression with the red ball for Australia A ahead of a likely Ashes call-up as he bagged three wickets on a truncated opening day against Sussex.Rain and bad light prevented play until mid-afternoon and only 33 overs were possible with Sussex initially making a strong start as they reached 69 without loss in the 14th over before Australia started finding regular breakthroughs.Pattinson, who has been playing for Nottinghamshire ahead of the Australia A tour and is in line for his first Test action in more than three years after a string of injuries, finished with 3 for 38 in an encouraging display for Test captain Tim Paine who was behind the stumps.ALSO READ: What’s up for grabs in Ashes selection battle?The opening wicket of the day went to Jackson Bird, another with a good chance of making the Ashes squad, when he had Phil Salt – who was called into the England T20 squad earlier this season – taken at mid-off for a brisk 37 off 44 balls.Then Pattinson got into his work by trapping Varun Chopra lbw and bowling Sussex captain Luke Wells before having Aneesh Kapil caught at third slip in the penultimate over of day.The other wicket, that of Laurie Evans, went to Michael Neser who was a late inclusion in the XI along with Joe Burns following the call-ups of Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade to the World Cup squad.Australia A play three four-day games during this leg of their tour with a match against England Lions followed by the inter-squad selection showdown with an Australia XI in Southampton, immediately after which the Test squad will be named.The Ashes starts at Edgbaston on August 1 and there may now need to be extra batting cover following the hamstring injury to Usman Khawaja which could take up a month to heal.