Root, one of the best batsmen of his generation, has already led England in a national record 65 Tests, mainly during a five-year spell from 2017-2022. He initially stood down as skipper following a dire run of one win in 17 Tests.
“The last couple of years, it (the captaincy) sucked the life out of me,” he said a few months later on a podcast. England’s decision to reappoint Joe Root for a second spell as full-time Test captain, starting with this week’s opener against Pakistan, is an obvious move but arguably an indictment of the lack of leadership in their set-up. “I was a shadow of the person I wanted to be… Once I’d made the decision it was a real relief.”
England’s decision to reappoint Joe Root for a second spell as full-time Test captain, starting with this week’s opener against Pakistan, is an obvious move but arguably an indictment of the lack of leadership in their set-up.
But, despite a modest return of 27 wins, 27 defeats and 11 draws as Test captain, Root is putting himself through it all again. Because of fitness issues, none of England’s other batsmen besides Brook are certain of their place and none of the bowlers are candidates to be captain, not least. Harry Brook, vice-captain under Stokes, is already the skipper of England’s white-ball teams and it may have been too much to expect him to lead the side in all three formats. When Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson were omitted from the second Test against New Zealand after breaking that curfew in a London bar, Root was installed as acting captain.
Ollie Pope, back in the squad for the first Test against Pakistan at Headingley, has previously been England’s vice-captain.
