Billy Root, the younger brother of England Test captain Joe Root, has announced his retirement from professional cricket at the age of 34, bringing an end to a 14-year career. The news was shared via social
media and also confirmed by Glamorgan. He has had a quiet final campaign, featuring in only two County Championship matches while captaining the club’s second XI. He will hang up his boots at the conclusion of the current season. In his retirement statement, Root reflected warmly on the journey.
🚨 ROOT ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT. 🚨
– Joe Root’s younger brother Billy Root has announced his retirement from professional cricket. https://t.co/VA90KtsFpy
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 23, 2026
Root said “It has been an absolute privilege to represent two great clubs and to share in the success of four trophy wins. I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to make a career out of something I have loved since I was a kid. There have been plenty of ups and downs over the last 14 years, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ll always be incredibly grateful for the journey, the people I’ve shared it with and the opportunity to live out a childhood dream. Thank you to everyone who has played a part.”
Billy Root is one of three Glamorgan batters retiring this week, alongside Chris Cooke and Colin Ingram. Glamorgan paid tribute, with director of cricket Mark Wallace praising his professionalism, consistency and ability to perform in big moments, noting his contribution to recent white-ball success.
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Billy Root’s Cricket Journey: From Joe Root’s Brother to Glamorgan Mainstay
Billy Root was born on 5 August 1992 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and is the younger brother of England’s Test captain Joe Root. The siblings grew up in a cricket-mad household in Dore and played together at Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club. Billy once served as England’s 12th man at Lord’s in 2013 while with the MCC Young Cricketers, briefly sharing the field with Joe. He has spoken of the mixed experience of being known primarily as brother of Joe Root and noting the frustrations but emphasising that the positives outweighed them.
A left-handed batsman and occasional right-arm off-spinner, Billy studied at Leeds Beckett University before breaking into professional cricket with Nottinghamshire in 2015. He was part of the Notts squad that completed the white-ball double in 2017. In 2019 he moved to Glamorgan, where he spent the final seven years of his career. There he contributed to two One-Day Cup titles including the 2024 final and the club’s promotion to County Championship Division One. He scored nearly 5,000 runs for Glamorgan across formats and was valued for his ability to anchor innings and absorb pressure.
In first-class cricket he has played 82 matches and scored 4,085 runs at 32.42 with seven centuries with a highest score 229 against Northamptonshire in 2019 along and 17 fifties. in List A cricket he has played 60 matches, scoring 1,665 runs at an average of 40.60 with three centuries (highest 113*) and nine fifties. He has also played 50 T20I matches and scored 634 runs at an average of 21.13 (highest 41*). He took a handful of wickets with his off-spin. While he never managed to play at the international level, he has had a very good domestic career.
