England quiet on Joe Root’s availability for Yorkshire

Yorkshire's head coach, Andrew Gale, is unsure when England's Test captain will be available for his county but is confident of getting an answer soon

County Championship fixtures

Yorkshire head coach, Andrew Gale, has admitted he is unsure about Joe Root’s availability for the start of the County Championship season.

England’s Test captain could play up to seven red-ball matches for Yorkshire before returning to the national side for a two-match series against New Zealand at the start of June.

But, with only a few weeks to go before the start of the season, Gale is unaware of if, and indeed when, Root will return for Yorkshire.

"I’ve not heard anything on Rooty’s availability yet," he said. "We’re still waiting to hear back from England. I have pushed it a bit with the England management, and they’ve said they will let me know in due course.

"Maybe later this week or early next, we’ll find out his exact availability."

However, Gale is confident Root will be raring to go when he comes back to the county game.

"Knowing Rooty as I do, he will have a couple of weeks off and then be ready to get back at it," Gale said.

Yorkshire host Glamorgan at Headingley in their first game of the 2021 season, scheduled to begin on April 8th.   

Subscribe today and receive The Cricketer’s centenary issue – six issues for £19.21. Click here