Root announces retirement, but it is not Joe

For a moment, seeing the words ‘Root retires’ might have given England cricket fans a real scare.

But later they might have realised that it is not Joe Root.

His younger brother Billy Root has announced that he will retire from professional cricket at the end of the 2026 season, bringing an end to a 14 year career in the county game.

Billy, 34, is only around 16 months younger than his far more famous brother Joe, who is 35 and still going strong for England.

In fact, while one Root is preparing to walk away, the other continues to chase cricket history.

Earlier this month, Joe overtook Sachin Tendulkar's record of 68 Test fifties, registering his 69th against Pakistan. Then this week, he reached 23,000 international runs in 521 innings, one innings quicker than Tendulkar managed the landmark. Only Virat Kohli got there faster.

And the biggest Tendulkar record remains in Joe's sights.

Joe currently has 14,278 Test runs and is 1,643 behind Tendulkar's all time record of 15,921. He needs another 1,644 to move ahead of the Indian legend.

Billy, meanwhile, has enjoyed a decent career of his own.

The left handed batter represented Nottinghamshire before joining Glamorgan in 2019. He played 83 first class matches, scoring 4,107 runs at an average of 32.08, including seven centuries and a career best of 229.

He also played an important role in Glamorgan's recent white ball success, including their 2024 One Day Cup triumph. Billy said it had been an “absolute privilege” to represent Nottinghamshire and Glamorgan and share in four trophy wins during his career.

His opportunities have become limited this season, with Billy making only two County Championship appearances while also captaining Glamorgan's second XI.

So yes, a Root is preparing to retire from professional cricket.

Just not the one chasing Sachin Tendulkar.