Moxon: Root no middle man for Yorks

Yorkshire director of cricket Martyn Moxon has revealed the county have no plans to move Joe Root down the order.

Root has regularly opened the batting since breaking into the White Rose's first team two years ago but has come in at number six in his four Tests with England. With the 22-year-old impressing early on in his international career, there have been rumours England will ask Yorkshire to move him down to the middle order.

However, Moxon told the Yorkshire Post: "Joe Root will bat for Yorkshire where we want him to bat. There has been no directive from England and I don't expect there to be one."

He went on: "It's not totally my decision where he bats for us because (coach) Jason Gillespie and (captain) Andrew Gale are in charge of the first team.

"We will discuss the situation between us, but I don't expect Joe to be in our middle order."

The 22-year-old is expected to eventually open the batting for England in the future although Alastair Cook and Nick Compton are currently a settled pairing.

Compton was initially chosen over Root to replace Andrew Strauss at the top of the order with the Yorkshireman coming in and flourishing in the middle order in the final Test against India last year.

But Moxon believes Root - who struggled in the recent series in New Zealand, averaging 17.6 in three Tests - would be more than capable of succeeding in an opening role.

"If England ever want him to open then it's more difficult to go from number six to number one than it is from number one to number six," he added.

"That's why he needs to get practice higher up. Joe can definitely be an England opener."