Joe Root ready for action as England settle on squad for controversial Bangladesh tour

Joe Root is hoping the cricket will take centre stage during England's winter tour of Bangladesh amid concerns over safety.
Joe RootJoe Root
Joe Root

Opening batsman Alex Hales pulled out of the tour over the potential risk to player safety, while one-day captain Eoin Morgan opted against playing in the One Day Internationals.

Root was named in a 17-strong England squad for the Test series alongside Yorkshire teammates Jonny Bairstow, Gary Ballance and Adil Rashid.

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Lancashire's 19-year-old opening batsman Haseeb Hameed has received a first senior international call-up and could partner Alistair Cook at the top of the order, while Surrey captain Gareth Batty, whose last Test match came in 2005, has been recalled at the age of 38.

There are also places in both squads for uncapped pair Zafar Ansari and Ben Duckett.

Root, who will sit out the three one-day internationals in Bangladesh, told The Yorkshire Post: “I'm looking forward to the cricket, I really am.

“Bangladesh are becoming a very good side, especially in one day cricket.

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"Going into the Test series, leading up to a big tour of India as well, it's very important that we don't see that as a warm up to that series and we treat Bangladesh with a lot of respect.

"They have got some players that are very capable of doing special things in international cricket.

“If we can just concentrate on our game and looking to progress like we have done over the summer, it will make for a very entertaining start to the winter.

“Hopefully it will all go well and the talking points will all be around cricket and not anything else.”

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David Willey and Liam Plunkett have both been named in England's ODI squad, which will be captained by wicket-keeper Jos Buttler in the absence of Morgan and Root.

England Test squad

Alastair Cook (captain, Essex), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Zafar Ansari (Surrey), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Gareth Batty (Surrey), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler ( Lancashire), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Haseeb Hameed (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

England ODI squad

Jos Buttler (captain, Lancashire), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Vince (Hampshire), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).