Yorkshire confirm dates for Joe Root, Harry Brook's return to County Championship

Yorkshire have announced that both Harry Brook and Joe Root will return to their squad ahead of their 2026 Rothesay County Championship game against Surrey on May 15. The duo will represent the White Rose County as part of their preparations for the upcoming home Test series against New Zealand, starting June 4.

Root is set to play three County Championship games for Yorkshire, while Brook will be playing in two ahead of yet another busy summer for England. The Three Lions’ white-ball captain will don the Yorkshire whites for their games against Warwickshire and Surrey, commencing from 8 and 15 May respectively. 

Root, 35, will be representing his home county against Sussex, Somerset, and the aforementioned game against Surrey at Headingley.

Yorkshire returned to Division One of the County Championship last season and finished seventh in the standings after accumulating 168 points from their 14 games. The 33-time winners will once again be captained by England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow as they kickstart their 2026 campaign away to newly-promoted Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on April 3. 

Root and Brook, meanwhile, remain key to England’s revival in Test cricket following a disappointing Ashes campaign where they suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Australia. 

Despite the team’s shortcomings Down Under, both Yorkshiremen were the Three Lions’ best batters. Root was England’s lead runs-scorer with 400 runs at an average of 44.44 with two centuries under his belt. Brook, on the other hand, scored 358 at an average of just shy of 40. 

The Ben Stokes-led side will be playing six Test matches during their home summer. Apart from their three-match series against New Zealand, England are also set to play a series against Pakistan towards the end of August. 

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