The Hundred | I've been kicked out of my own pitch by Ben Stokes, jokes Joe Root
After a gruelling Ashes this summer, Joe Root has joked that he was kicked out of his own pitch by Ben Stokes when Northern Superchargers picked the latter over him. Joe Root took a dig on Jonny Bairstow and said that he will bounce strong back after being axed from the Test side.
The Hundred is a new addition to a growing list of formats in cricket. This format fashions a 100-ball per side innings. According to the recently-confirmed drafts of the English red ball stars, Test skipper Joe Root will be taking the field for Nottingham-based Trent Rockets instead of Leeds side Northern Superchargers who will be having the services of England’s World Cup hero Ben Stokes.Â
"It is what it is. But you look at the summer we've just had and the guys the region had to pick from, it's obviously very hard to look beyond Ben Stokes. I've been kicked out of my own patch by him basically!,” Root told The Cricket Show on BBC Radio Leeds.Â
The new 100-ball competition will feature eight women’s and men’s team which will be starting off from 17 July 2020. The tournament will see star all-rounder Stokes returning to Headingley, where he scored a match-winning unbeaten 135 against Australia, while Root will join the Trent Bridge side.Â
"I'm sure with Ben's history at Headingley people will be getting entertained with some fantastic performances when he's able to play. But I'm looking forward to working with some fantastic people at Trent Bridge and the chance to play on a flat wicket with some short boundaries," the Yorkshire lad added.Â
Root also had a word for his Yorkshire team-mate Jonny Bairstow as he hoped that the wicketkeeper will bounce back strongly after his omission from the Test side for the New Zealand series. Bairstow has taken it positively and has hinted a strong back into the team and has hoped to make this the last time he has been dropped.Â
"He's obviously disappointed. But he knows his performances have slipped over the past 18 months and not been at the standard he expects. One thing I expect from Jonny is a response. He'll go away and work on parts of his game to ensure he's ready to return when called upon. Having played in all formats like he has in recent years, he just hasn't had the opportunities to work on his game when you're moving from one series straight into the next."