England star Joe Root wary of workload over next 12 months: Top form relies on recovery
JOE ROOT claimed last night he is happy with the amount of cricket he is being asked to play after a year in which he has made himself indispensable in all three formats.
Joe Root helped England reach the World T20 final earlier this year
But England's star batsman acknowledged his workload will have to be carefully managed over the next 12 months if he is to continue at the top of his game.
The Yorkshire and England player was honoured at an ECB Awards Dinner in Leeds last night with two trophies, one for Test Player of the Year and the other for Limited Overs Player. He also picked up the Fans Player of the Year Award.
Yet inherent in such a clean sweep of the boards is the potential for burnout if he continues with such a heavy workload.
Root, 25, maintained he is feeling "in a great place" physically and mentally, but he accepted England will have to rest him at times this summer as they balance risk and reward.
"You need time away from cricket and [so far] the management and backroom staff have been very good with knowing when to pull me out of games and giving me time to rest and recover," said Root.
There follows five ODIs and a T20 against Sri Lanka before Pakistan roll up for four Tests, five ODIs and a T20 - all before the end of the first week in September.
Following that there will be tours to Bangladesh and India before Christmas.
"There's too much cricket for me to look as far ahead as the India tour or the next Ashes," said Root. "I've got to make sure I stay on the park for all the games prior to that and make sure I'm scoring plenty of runs.
"If I can do that then, when those tours come around, I'll be ready to go."