The England national cricket team is set to re-appoint Joe Root as England Test captain after Ben Stokes announced his retirement in early June. Stokes said goodbye to international cricket at the end of the New Zealand series.
According to a report in The Athletic, Joe Root is set to be appointed captain again until next summer’s home series against Australia. The veteran batsman recently captained the side in the absence of Ben Stokes in the second Test between the England national cricket team and the New Zealand national cricket team at The Oval, London and the Three Lions lost the match.
Joe Root will lead England in the Ashes 2027
Joe Root was appointed interim captain for the Three Lions after Ben Stokes was suspended from the second Test because he broke the team’s curfew and was involved in a nightclub brawl with Gus Atkinson. Root led England in that Test match, but the Three Lions suffered a heavy defeat by 253 runs.
Ben Stokes returned along with Gus Atkinson, who was also involved in the fight and was suspended for the same game. When both returned in the third Test, Stokes announced his retirement and it was believed that the team’s vice-captain and white-ball captain Harry Brook would take charge, but in a shocking development, Root is the frontrunner.
Joe Root’s record as England Test captain
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is set to announce the name of Joe Root as the next Test captain ahead of the three-Test series against Pakistan starting on August 19, reports The Athletic. He is ready to lead the team beyond that, possibly even in next year’s Ashes.
Root has experience of captaining the team in the traditional format of the game. He captained the team between February 2017 and April 2022, before Stokes took over. The experienced campaigner led the team in 65 Test matches, winning 27 and losing the same number.
Root also holds the record of winning the most matches and losing the most matches as the Test captain of England. This reflects his aggressive captaincy mentality in the longest format of the game, as he has been one of the best captains for the team, especially in the Test format. The 35-year-old will be looking to win more Test matches and the Ashes on home soil.
Joe Root’s batting career
The experienced batsman remains the team’s leading run-scorer in this format and is close to Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record for most runs. Tendulkar finished his career with 15,921 runs in 200 matches and scored 51 centuries.
Root has 14,114* runs to his credit; He is just 1,808 runs short of surpassing the greatest Test batsman of all time. He currently tops the list of most runs scored in Tests among active cricketers. He has performed brilliantly in ODIs and Tests this year and would like to continue his form.
Marcus Trescothick will remain on an interim basis
With Root continuing as captain, Harry Brook will have a chance to continue as his deputy and continue in the longest format. He will be looking to make a strong mark as they prepare for next year’s 50-over World Cup and will continue to work with the T20 and ODI teams.
Since Brendon McCullum has been sacked from the post of Test cricket head coach and remains only in charge of the white-ball format, former English opener Marcus Trescothick has to take charge against Pakistan on an interim basis, as the Three Lions are yet to announce the name of their next Test head coach.
