AS the saying goes, not all heroes wear capes.

Well that could hardly ring truer for Yorkshire star and England Test captain Joe Root.

Root is preparing for the biggest summer of his career so far, highlighted by a one-day World Cup on home soil from late next month and then leading England into the Ashes at the start of August, including a home Test at Emerald Headingley.

Prior to that, he will link up with England for a training camp this weekend ahead of a five-match one-day international series against Pakistan.

The Sheffield-born batsman, 28, started the summer in a Yorkshire shirt earlier this month, returning scores of 73, 130 not out and 94 in Specsavers County Championship matches against Nottinghamshire and Hampshire.

And, as White Rose chief executive Mark Arthur explains, he made a far bigger impression than just his runs.

“The beauty about him is that he is captain of England and a phenomenal cricketer, but he’s still got time for people,” said Arthur.

“The best story I heard was when he came back for pre-season this year to get himself prepared for our games.

“Our lads were playing the University game up at Weetwood, so Joe asked to train with the Academy. Then he took all the Academy boys out for lunch afterwards.

“Quite a lot of those boys won’t make it into professional cricket, but what an inspiration for the ones who do to have the England captain training with you and then take you out for lunch to chat about the game.

“How many professional sportsmen, leaders of their country - in whatever sport - would do that?

“He also interacts with children when he signs autographs, and that’s so good for the game of cricket and its development.

“Personally, I don’t really know Joe Root very well because when I arrived at Yorkshire in 2013, he’d just established himself in the England team.

“But the little contact I have with him and his family as well, I do believe he’s probably the most complete professional sportsman that I’ve come across.

“That’s in the way he conducts himself as a player, a captain and also a role model.”

England could conceivably win the Ashes at Headingley, the venue for the third Test, starting on Thursday, August 22.

“As long as it’s tea time on the last day,” laughed Arthur, with his chief executive’s hat firmly in place.

“I think the Ashes series is going to be fantastic. But do not write the Australians off. They will be right at it. And it could be that England or Australia are the World Cup winners going into that series.

“We can just tell with the number of tickets sold just how excited people are.

“For us to have the Ashes back here for the first time in 10 years and a Test match in the summer months, it’s almost like a perfect storm for us.”

For remaining Ashes tickets and to attend the fifth ODI between England and Pakistan - which takes place at Headingley on Sunday, May 19 - visit yorkshireccc.com/tickets