Hats off to Joe Root! But is he the real deal? I've seen so many promising careers flounder it's easy to be cynical about another 22 year-old enjoying a spell in the limelight at such a young age. However, like Alastair Cook seven years ago, the lad from Sheffield really does look the part. His is not an overnight success built on one huge score against Division Two bowling or a whirlwind T20 blitz. Instead it was steady scoring for his county and a cool head with the Lions which earned him a place on the India tour. His painstaking 73 at Nagpur demonstrated many of the qualities needed in Test cricket but instead of sitting back and admiring his caps and the video, Root returned to Yorkshire and compiled some huge scores, beginning with 182 and 236 in successive matches in the Championship.
With no KP and Bopara out of the equation, Joe was an obvious pick to play in the New Zealand Test series, collecting innings of 40, 71 and that effortless debut century in front of his home fans at Headingley. And he has those annoyingly blond boyish looks which will probably stay with him for years. However, three years ago, another 22 year-old Yorkshire opener looked set for international stardom. Adam Lyth may have been short of hair but he made a big impression in the domestic game before seemingly losing the plot in the past few seasons. His century this week against Somerset was a welcome return to form, but only because of Root's absence on England duty.
Joe Sayers and Rich Pyrah are no longer spring chickens but Gary Ballance is severly under-rated. Perhaps it's because of his Zimbabwe background (a nephew of the great batsman David Houghton) but he has now been wearing the white rose for five years or so. Still only 23, he boasts a career first-class batting average of 51 and a barely credible List A figure of 53.55! Few in the world can better that. And then there's Adil Rashid. Fabulous leg-spinner-turned-all-rounder-come-Headingley reject, the 25 year-old is enjoying a new lease of life as a batsman. He has an impressive 305 first-class wickets to his name but few have come this summer. Instead, he has now fashioned centuries in each of his last three Championship fixtures, taking his batting average to 36, just above his bowling average.
Could he finally win that England Test place to go alongside those five mediocre ODI appearances in 2009? Probably not, because don't forget there's a 23 year-old from Bradford named Jonny Bairstow in the way. Yorkshire have nice balance to their line-up these days and deserve to be restored to the forefront of English cricket. A decade or so ago, I recall being at Lord's for a Test which saw Vaughan, Hoggard, Gough and White lining up for England against the West Indies. Of course, in those days, such players could still do their stuff for their county, too. Now, a Bairstow or Root will make their name for England, receive a central contract and thereafter rely on the generosity of the Lord's big cheeses to be allowed back to represent the club which nurtured their talents from childhood. I think that's a real shame.
What Adil Rashid, Azeem Rafiq, Adam Lyth and co need to do is turn in consistent performances for Yorkshire but not be TOO good. That's probably the only way the Championship pennant can flutter once more alongside the White Rose at Headingley. At least they can enjoy the opportunity to see Root and Bairstow sharing more impressive partnerships at Headingley albeit in England colours.
