Top 99 Quotes & Sayings by Joe Root

If I was playing for my local club I'd want to play in exactly the same way as if I was playing for England and, if that ever changes, it's probably time to stop.

I've been called Ellen DeGeneres on a number of occasions over the course of my career.

You want to be busy and try and get the scoreboard moving, and showing that intent when you go out there is important.

You can sometimes bowl extremely well and get no reward.

It is motivating seeing how powerful it is when people come together and show support for a fantastic organisation like the NHS. We are very lucky to have it. We should appreciate it and not take it for granted.

From the age of six I used to watch every England team and when I was messing around in the backyard I would pretend to be whoever was scoring runs at the time, whether they were a right or left-hander. I just wanted to be them and do that.

I used to see Michael Vaughan play at the club and then to watch him captain England was inspiring.

That's the food chain that cricket is sometimes. You have to be at the top of it otherwise you get swept away and eaten up.

Coming off the field and having a young family, it's very easy to distract yourself.

Every time you're involved in an Ashes series, as soon as it finishes at the back of your mind you start thinking about the next one.

As a captain I think tactically I've been quite good.

I did get the nickname 'craptain' from the Yorkshire dressing room. A bit of banter which I thought was quite funny.

Bowling at Steve Smith in his form is difficult and you have to make sure you take all your chances.

That was my upbringing: you treat people with respect.

Whenever I go through any sort of bad patch, I remind myself that part of the game of cricket is God testing you.

To score runs you have to be pragmatic.

In terms of pace, every captain wants pace in their attack.

We pride ourselves on taking opportunities to win when we have them.

I just want to represent England whether it is in the middle, at the top or wherever. If it means opener then great but I'm not too fussed about it. I just want to be in the side.

This game can be brutal. As soon as you get comfortable, it bites you. You have to stay on it all the time.

There are always different areas in the game you want to develop. For me it's my all-round game in different conditions in different places in the world.

There is no point having team meetings where no one speaks because you don't learn anything.

I remember getting hit in the ribs when I was on about eight or nine in my first game, and everyone rushed over, quite concerned. The umpire said to me afterwards, 'If anyone had appealed I would have had to give you out LB!' I ended that innings about nine not out off about 15 overs. I was already digging in - Yorkshire style.

What batsmen like me do for fitness is often a bit different to what bowlers like Jimmy Anderson or Stuart Broad do but everyone in the squad has a big focus on core strength. It is really important for batting, bowling and fielding. You need a strong core and spine so your movement isn't restricted out there.

I was pretty much a goody-two shoes at school - a bit boring, didn't get in trouble with teachers - it was classical Yorkshire: a lot of respect to your elders. Once I started playing cricket that sort of slipped away.

I have a short, home-made armguard because I don't like the regular ones. I'd wear that on a lively pitch. I don't use a chest guard because I find it too restrictive.

If you're playing against someone, you always want them playing flat out and at their best - so when you are successful you know you've produced a really good performance.

In white-ball cricket the conditions do vary, but throughout Tests it varies a lot more in a five-day game, and home advantage becomes more prevalent in Test cricket.

You look at someone like Neil Wagner - he's got a big heart, a big engine, and keeps running. And that's what you want, you want guys who, time and time again, want to be putting themselves in that position, to keep wanting to create chances and keep trying to change the game.

I still like to think I have a pretty good laugh with the other guys in the dressing room and still enjoy a beer and the odd night out.

You can never really replicate the dressing-room environment and building something as a group of players.

Jos has been the most complete white-ball batsman we've had ever. The way he can play a number of different scenarios. He can just demoralise attacks and very quickly swing games massively in your favour.

We should be looking to inspire every living person in this country to play the game of cricket.

I try not to measure myself against other players.

I've played a lot of cricket at Trent Bridge over the years, and have had a lot of fond memories there.

I played my first game of adult cricket at about eight or nine when the fifth team were short and picked me to field and bat at No 11. From then I just got the bug and wanted to play as often as possible.

You have to have a laugh and a joke. If you spend five days playing a Test match and so much time together off the field, it's important to keep morale high.

Whenever you lose, it hurts.

I do a lot of free weights in the gym, with lots of squats, lunges and push-pull exercises to help develop strength and power.

You have to look at areas you want to get better at, both in yourself and as a team.

Make sure you look after people around you and it holds you in good stead going forward in terms of leadership. Look at all the best leaders and they have those qualities.

From a young age I've always known my game pretty well and coming from a club like Yorkshire you are generally taught to say what you think. If you don't say what you think then someone else does.

I've always wanted to play Test cricket from a young age and that's what you dream about. But you have to make sure you can contribute regardless of the format.

I'm just trying to score as many runs as I can each time. The more I can make over a hundred, the better.

I think I can be quite cheeky at times.

Michael Vaughan gave me his old thigh pad when he retired. It was in my kitbag for a long time.

Teams quickly find trends in ways you get out. If you get out in similar fashion on three or four occasions, teams will be using that as a weapon to get you out.

We think it is a really important part of your journey, as an international player, that you come in and you want it to feel like it's the pinnacle of the game. That you want to come back into that environment. You don't want to think, 'Well, I'd much prefer playing for Sussex,' or your county.

When I'm waiting to bat I try to watch the game and make sure I know what is going on so I am ready when I get out there but I spend a lot of time hydrating. It is very important for your performance and concentration. If it is cold I might have a coffee but mainly I am trying to stay really hydrated.

You have to enjoy winning and being part of a successful team, just being a young bloke. But at the same time you want to be back page and not front page news and be spoken about for your cricket and contributing to winning rather than getting it wrong on a night out.

I am slightly better at sleeping now during Test matches. I have a diary and I write things down, which helps. I write about decisions, a lot about opposition and stuff I want to say to the team so I am clear on the message I want to give.

You turn up to an Ashes series and put everything you can into it.

Individually we all have to play to our strengths.

Something people might not know about me is, I like playing the guitar.

As a player I think you naturally think long term and think what is the schedule in the next year or so.

If you look round the world, most teams want guys who can bowl up at 90 mph because they can make things happen when it isn't doing much.

Unfortunately I am a human being and not a robot.

When you go to Australia you are always asked whether you can perform in hostile environments against high pace and every Australian side I have played against has had guys bowling over 90mph.

A lot of the things we do in Test cricket revolves around planning for the Ashes series down under.

I don't get too fussy about food around games. It is more just a case of making sure I get some fuel on board. But I quite enjoy poached eggs and toast in the morning so I often go for that before training.