Joe Root can’t wait to get stuck into the Vitality Blast with Yorkshire – the England star available to the Vikings for the first half of the campaign through to late June.
Root is set to play at least the first seven North Group matches – possibly eight – before turning his attentions to preparation for the home Test summer in early July.
The 33-year-old played five County Championship matches at the start of the summer before resting from the weekend draw at Northamptonshire, which finished on Monday.
He returns to the team for tomorrow’s T20 opener against Worcestershire Rapids at Headingley (6.30pm).
It will be his first T20 appearance for the county since May 2022.
“I really enjoy coming back and playing,” said the Sheffield-born legend of English Cricket.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Joe Root returns to Yorkshire’s Blast time to face Worcestershire tomorrow.
“I didn’t play a game for Yorkshire last year, so to get a string of games together, to get in and amongst the group, which is very young and different to the team I regularly played in – and to have a different role within that, is exciting.
“It’s an opportunity to try and give back to the club which has given me so much throughout my career.
“I’ve not played a lot of Twenty20 cricket of late.
“It’s something I really enjoy doing, and it would be nice to represent Yorkshire as much as I can whilst I can.”
Root is set for a couple of T20 career milestones over the next few weeks.
He currently sits on 97 career appearances in this format, so Sunday’s trip to Northamptonshire will be his 100th. He is also five short of 50 in this format for Yorkshire.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Adam Lyth has hailed Joe Root’s ability in T20 cricket.
Root will be a central figure in an exciting Yorkshire batting line-up, also including the likes of Shan Masood, Dawid Malan and new overseas signing Donavan Ferreira.
Adam Lyth is another, the opener who is Yorkshire’s all-time leading T20 run-scorer with just short of 4,000 to his name.
He can’t wait to play alongside Root once again.
“Rooty’s a phenomenal player across all three formats, there’s no two ways about it,” he added.
“He’s a wonderful T20 player – before you know it he’s on 40 and he hasn’t faced many balls. He’s just a world-class performer.”