After an impressive first full season of county cricket in 2011, Yorkshire batsman Joe Root has been earmarked as a player of huge potential.
In a struggling Tykes side that suffered relegation in the County Championship, the 21-year-old topped 1,000 first-class runs in the campaign and registered his maiden ton against Sussex at Scarborough, leading Michael Vaughan – Root’s confessed idol – to suggest he is “not far off” from playing for England.
The England set-up took note and selected Root – who is also a handy offspinner and livewire in the field – for the Lions last summer and the subsequent tour of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka over the winter. He continued to impress, scoring an unbeaten 110 against Sri Lanka A earlier this month to clinch the unofficial ODI series.
The previous winter – when Root attended the Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy in Adelaide – had played a crucial role in his development and set the youngster up for a watershed season. In this video interview, recorded in Australia last winter, Root describes his experience at the academy.
Click here to watch a video interview with Leicestershire’s Greg Smith at the Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy
