Captain Joe Root

By Gary Watton
April 29 2013

Captain Root sounds like the name of a pirate or a pantomime villain, but the good and not so good people of Blighty had better grow accustomed to it. Why? Well, good old Geoff Miller and the England cricket selectors have earmarked Yorkshire's boy wonder, Joe Root, as future captaincy material by appointing this six foot of Sheffield Steel to captain the England Lions XI in their forthcoming skirmish with the visiting New Zealand team.

Jonny Bairstow also joins young Root in the Lions squad. After his failures against the West Indies followed by redemption in the final test against South Africa and then a disappointing outing in the most recent test match in New Zealand, Jonny B desperately needs to make a big impression for the Lions or he may find himself slipping down the pecking order of would-be England batsmen.

Meanwhile, the fast-tracking of Root as captain in such a prestige fixture is proof that this guy possesses not just admirable batting technique, but equally important he has been identified as having the required temperament to cope in the pressure cooker of international cricket.

Here's hoping that both Bairstow and Root do justice to their obvious talent in the months and years that lie ahead, both for England and Yorkshire.