“Can’t rule Joe Root out” - Eoin Morgan confirms batsman could be part of England's T20 World Cup squad

Eoin Morgan has confirmed Joe Root is in contention to be part of England’s T20 World Cup squad later this year. The white-ball England skipper admitted that Root could play a similar role to the one he did in 2016 for the national team.

Joe Root was England’s leading run-getter in the last T20 World Cup, notching up 249 runs at a strike rate of 146.7. He top-scored for England in the final, scoring a 36-ball 54 in vain as they lost to West Indies by four wickets.

Speaking to the media after England beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in the first ODI, Eoin Morgan touched upon Joe Root’s T20 World Cup prospects and said:

"I think there are a lot of people who are (in contention) and certainly, you can't rule Joe out. The role he played in 2016, the runs he scored and the manner in which he scored them as well went a long way towards getting us to the final. His knock in the final as well was outstanding.”

Woakesy with the ball! ⚪Rooty with the bat! 🏏#ENGvSL 1st ODI highlights 👇

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 29, 2021

Although Joe Root was not part of the recent T20 series against Sri Lanka, he showed his mettle in the first ODI. The star batsman scored a match-winning 79* as he guided England to victory. Root steadied the ship with England 80/4 at one stage, and Eoin Morgan was full of praise for the 30-year-old:

"He just does the basics unbelievably well and never seems to struggle, even though the wicket might have been a little bit two-paced. So it was a joy to watch him see the team home.”

Could Joe Root make it to England's T20 World Cup squad?

Joe Root needs to bat 3 for England at the World T20. There are no two ways about it.

— Srinath (@srinathb) June 29, 2021

Joe Root hasn’t played a T20I since October 2019, with England looking to go with aggressive batsmen at the top of the order. However, Eoin Morgan explained how the packed international calendar has prevented Root from featuring in the shortest format of the game. Morgan explained:

"I think circumstances in the last two years, given how busy the schedule is but also Test matches being a priority, hasn't allowed Joe to play as much T20 as he'd have liked.”

Numerous pundits and fans want Joe Root to make it into England's T20I squad. With pitches set to be two-paced in the UAE, many feel Root at no.3 could be the perfect foil for England’s gung-ho approach in white-ball cricket.

England go 1-0 up in the series 🎉An unbeaten 79 from Joe Root helps them register a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first ODI.#ENGvSL | https://t.co/zb9rXOGY4Q pic.twitter.com/OUSioBWOew

— ICC (@ICC) June 29, 2021