Joe Root has said that he is determined to make a comeback to the England T20I side ahead of the 2021 World Cup in India.
England's Test captain Joe Root has insisted that he remains determined of securing a place in the final squad for the next year's T20 World Cup in India. Root has been out of the England's T20I side for over an year, making his last appearance during the match against Pakistan in May 2019.
Root has said that he remains "realistic" about playing for England in the shortest format again. However, he also acknowledged the tough competition in international sport.
"I'm not giving up on it at all, but I'm quite realistic in terms of where I am within the shake-up of things at the moment," he told Yorkshire County's website.
"I want England to do well. I want us to go to World Cups and win.
"If I'm not in the best eleven or the best squad, so be it. I'll support whoever's involved all the way through. I know how hard selection is, and if there are better options than me that's part of international sport. I'm fully aware of that. But I'll certainly do everything I can with the limited opportunities I will have to force a case."
Incidentally, the international match against Pakistan was his last appearance in overall T20s, too. Root admitted that he had been "frustrated" with limited opportunities in the shortest format of the game so far.
"I've not had many opportunities to play T20 at all in the last couple of years," he said. "It's been a little bit frustrating, but it's been no one's fault. I'm certainly not upset or disappointed or bitter about anything, it's just the way it's fallen," said the England's red-ball skipper.
"Probably because of it, I've lost my place within the England side, and that can happen in cricket. It would be nice to get an opportunity to play some games and try and stake a claim to force my way back into that squad.
"But it's a very talented team, and you look at the strength within it and the players in possession, they're all fantastic players in that format. It's great to see England in such a strong position in that respect."
Joe Root was set to make a comeback to T20s with Yorkshire's match against Nottinghamshire. However, the match was abandoned due to persistent rain.
