Joseph Root

An exciting batsman with buckets of talent, Joe Root is a superstar in the making. After Root made his first-class debut for Yorkshire in 2011 and cemented his spot in the side, commentators were quick to mark him as one to watch. Selection in the England Lions squad and a place in the England Performance Programme followed before the batsman was chosen for the England Test squad to tour India in late 2012. His debut came in the final Test of the series and Root acquitted himself well first up, scoring 79 to help England secure a draw and their first series won in India in 28 years. His call-up to the one-day international squad came one month later and Root has since produced a string of impressive performances for England, including an unbeaten double century against Sri Lanka in June 2014, and two one-day centuries.  Root's good form continued in early 2015 when he scored an unbeaten 182 in a Test against the West Indies. In 2017 Root was named captain of the England Test team, succeeding Alastair Cook who had been at the helm for four years.

He was selected in the ICC Test team of the year for 2014.