CRICKET: World T20 heartache is behind me, says Joe Root as Sheffield Collegiate's England star plots Test match revenge

Sheffield's Joe Root insists he has put England's ICC World Twenty20 final heartache behind him as he turns his focus to Test revenge against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Joe Root, back at CollegiateJoe Root, back at Collegiate
Joe Root, back at Collegiate

Root will return to the crease for county side Yorkshire this weekend for the first time since he made a half-century in vain in the loss against West Indies earlier this month, when Carlos Brathwaite's last-over fireworks dashed England's sprint-format hopes in dramatic fashion.

The manner in which Brathwaite denied England glory at Eden Gardens, by clearing the ropes from four successive Ben Stokes deliveries, is likely to leave lasting memories with Eoin Morgan's team, but the sport's hectic schedule means they are already braced for new challenges.

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Sri Lanka are the first touring side to visit England this summer for a three-Test series which starts at Headingley on May 19 before Pakistan venture onto these shores for four Tests in July and August.

For Root, it is a chance to avenge the series defeats against the only two countries to have beaten England in their past seven series, with Pakistan winning in the UAE over the winter while Sri Lanka emerged victorious two summers ago having beaten the hosts in a thrilling Headingley Test.

"It was bitterly disappointing but it's gone now and you move on; you get absorbed in what you're next hurdle is," Root, who was speaking in Sheffield after being named the new ambassador for Yorkshire Cricket Foundation, said of the World T20 final.

"Going into that World Cup I'm not sure we'd have been expected to get to the World Cup final, I think we out-did ourselves in that respect.

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"The way we performed in the Test arena...South Africa was an outstanding effort from this group of players so it's really exciting going into the summer with all this momentum behind us.

"If we can win both series I think we're holding every trophy between us and other nations which would be a good achievement."

Root's first port of call is back-to-back county champions Yorkshire's four-day fixture with Nottinghamshire which begins on Sunday at Trent Bridge, when the 25-year-old will join a squad containing the likes of Adam Lyth, Liam Plunkett, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid and David Willey, all of whom have represented England across the formats in recent fixtures.

Root believes having such a strong Yorkshire presence in the international fold can only be beneficial to England.

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"Whenever you get the opportunity to play in the same side as guys at county level before playing for England, it makes it easier to integrate into the team," Root added.

"Over the last couple of years we've had a lot of lads from Yorkshire been involved in the (England) squad - Plunkett, Lyth, Bairstow, Ballance, Rashid - they just keep coming. It's really positive to see that coming from Yorkshire. Hopefully that can continue."