Joe Root faces the axe from England's T20 squad after being named new Test captain

Joe Root could well be on his way out of England’s T20 squad as he prepares a busy schedule with the Three Lions this year. England, after the Champions Trophy are set to play 14 Tests in the span of nine months, with Ashes around the corner this November. The new test captain is likely to miss the three-match T20 series against the South Africans at the end of June.

The ECB are trying to manage the workload of their most important player, with the tournaments and matches coming in thick and fast. The team management not only wants to give him every opportunity to lead the team, but they are also looking to add firepower to the T20 squad with the likely inclusion of the batsman Sam Billings.

Joe Root was way below his usual self in the recent series defeat against the home side India at the start of the year. As per the reports, it is likely that the English side is going to employ the T20 team with Jos Buttler at the top of the order after his heroics with the Mumbai Indians.

In the current batting order, the Mumbai Indians player is playing for the country at No.7 where he faces only 8.5 balls at an average where the Englishman is less effective. Root had his highs and lows with the English team after his display against South Africa in Mumbai last year.

In the match against the Proteas, Root made 83 runs off 44 balls to help the team chase 230 runs at Mumbai in the ICC World T20 2016. The combination of extra workload and the rise of a group of exciting batsmen has pushed him down the pecking order. The group includes Sam Billings, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan and Ben Duckett could count against him.

English will also additionally focus on omitting Alex Hales from the top of the order of their T20 side, allowing him to focus on the 50-over game. Jason Roy, the current opener might be paired with either of Jos Buttler or Ben Stokes according to the reports. It might be a chance for Sam Billings to open the batting after his heroics with the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.