Former England captain Joe Root has been roped in by Paarl Royals for the third season of the SA20 League. Root who played his last T20I match in 2019 will make his SA20 League debut in the next season.
Royals' Director of Cricket, Kumar Sangakkara lauded Root's ability in the format. The franchise also wants him to help players develop.
“We all know what a phenomenal player Joe Root is, and to have him back at the Royals is a great feeling,” Sangakkara, said.
“He (Root) has been a great contributor to all the teams he has represented over the years and has also proven to be a valuable all-rounder with his bowling and fielding attributes. As we saw during IPL 2023 and have also seen over the years, he is also a great team man and has the ability to help his teammates develop both on and off the field. We are looking forward to using his expertise, his personality, his brains, and also his performances on the field to strive towards a successful SA20 season in 2025,” the former Sri Lanka captain added.
In IPL 2023, Root made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals (RR). He scored just 14 runs from two innings. Before IPL 2024, he was released from Royals’ squad.
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Earlier, Root had also represented T20 franchises Dubai Capitals, Sydney Thunder and Trent Rockets.
Root’s T20I numbers
Root was part of England's squad led by Eoin Morgan that made it to T20 World Cup 2016 final in India. They lost to West Indies in a thrilling encounter. Root's T20I numbers aren't bad. He has scored 893 runs from 30 innings at an average of 35.72 including five fifties. However, his strike rate of 126.30 may not be up to modern day T20 standard.
Interestingly, in his last T20I appearance, he scored 47 runs from 42 balls in a winning cause against Pakistan. But selectors moved on from Root and tried a different approach. It paid off in T20 World Cup 2022 as Jos Buttler-led England beat Pakistan in the final to win the trophy for the second time.
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