The proposal has drawn a response which might be euphemistically described as ‘mixed’, but Root sees it as something which could reinvigorate cricket in this country, which is faced with problems of declining interest and participation.

Root did, however, warn that the venture must be handled carefully, ensuring it elevates the other formats rather than diminishes them.

“The thing we’ve got to do as current players as the ICC or whoever, we’ve got to find ways to make sure other formats don’t suffer from this,” he said. “But it has a place in the game and we’ll hopefully see that over time. We’ve got to be very careful that we don’t measure it against the other formats – it’s something to gather a new audience and gain interest, to make it really simple and easy for people to understand – not see it as a threat to the other formats.

“The most important thing is that we find ways to look after longer versions of the game, whether that be one-day cricket, T20 – it’s odd to say that is a longer format now – and in particular Test cricket.”

Safeguarding cricket’s future is something Root feels strongly about, and to that end he has helped launch the Root Academy, where he was speaking to the media after leading around 160 children in a group training session. He hopes the venture will offer children the same opportunities that he received.

“I remember coming on the Michael Vaughan Academy when that launched way back when,” he says. “I was one of the young kids who came through that, I did a lot of drills very similar to this. It’s just about giving opportunities to young guys, getting as many people into the sport as possible and for kids to find that enjoyment factor about playing cricket. It’s really good to see so many people interested in the sport. It’s nice to give a little bit back to a game that’s been really good to me.”