Former England test captain makes extraordinary foray into global T20 circuit
Joe Root has signed a deal to play for Dubai Capitals in the International League T20 in January and February. Ruud, who was left out of his ODI squad for England in South Africa on Thursday, will be his second overseas appearance in the T20 league.
England’s leading Test batsman Root has been away from the T20I side since 2019 but has made no secret of his desire to continue developing the game in the shortest format. He was listed for his IPL auction on Friday, and his ties to Capitals (part of the franchise run by his GMR Group, co-owner of Delhi) meant he was nominated. This does not impair the possibility of
Root remains a key part of his ODI build for England, but has been off the international treadmill for some time ahead of his team’s tour of New Zealand for the Tests in February.
He confirmed last month his participation in the unsold IPL auction of 2018. Root’s T20 opportunities have been limited in recent years due to test captain demands held exclusively at the BBL between 2017 and 2022. In 2018-19 he played for the Sydney Sixers and worked alongside occasional appearances for Yorkshire and the Trent Rockets.
After reaching the final of the 2016 World T20 in a record-breaking group stage chase against South Africa, Route England took a bold score of 44 to 83, but the rise of similar anchor-playing Dawyd Maran pushed them out of the competition. Dropped out. Senior role. He played his final T20I against Pakistan before his 2019 World Cup in Cardiff.
Dubai Capitals announced earlier this week that they have signed former India internationals Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan, and the squad coached by Phil Simmons will include current players Rovman Powell and Fabian. It includes Allen, Sikandar Raza and Dan Lawrence, another British player.