"I'd love to still be playing in four years' time" - Joe Root not retiring from ODIs after 2023 World Cup
England's ace batter Joe Root has quashed any retirement plans from one-day cricket and hopes to play in the 2027 ODI World Cup. The Yorkshire batter hopes to see the Three Lions register another win and take a massive stride towards the 2023 World Cup semifinals.
The likes of Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood are already on the wrong side of their 30s and are highly unlikely to play in the next World Cup. Nevertheless, England still boast an excellent pipeline of white-ball players and could still be dominant in four years' time.
Speaking ahead of facing Afghanistan in Delhi, here's what Root, 32, said, as quoted by BBC Sport:
"I'd love to still be playing in four years' time."
The right-hander underlined that adaptability is key in the ongoing World Cup, reflecting how well England bounced back against Bangladesh after New Zealand beat them. He said:
"Every team in this tournament poses slightly different threats. We've got to be really adaptable to be able to combat that. We've just got to look to keep getting better. We weren't where we wanted to be in the first game but we were considerably better in the last game against Bangladesh."
Stating that England are looking to build momentum, Root added:
"This is another opportunity for us to take another big stride forwards and keep building that momentum towards the business end of this tournament, and making sure we are where we need to be by the back end."
Despite question marks over his form leading up to the event, Root has scored half-centuries in both games. He added 151 with Dawid Malan against Bangladesh to propel England to 364 in 50 overs.
"He trained really well last night" - Joe Root on Ben Stokes
Hinting at all-rounder Ben Stokes' inclusion for Sunday's clash against Afghanistan, the former Test captain elaborated:
"Woakesy is on the bus today which is a great sign. Ben seems to be getting better day by day. He trained really well last night. He had a bat and seems to be improving. All good signs ahead of tomorrow."
It remains to be seen if the defending champions will drop Harry Brook to accommodate the star all-rounder in the playing XI.