Four years after stepping down as England’s full-time Test captain and being replaced by Ben Stokes, Joe Root is set to return to the top job as the successor of his own replacement in a shocking twist of events as the Three Lions prepare for a new era in the longest format of the game following Stokes’ retirement and the sacking of head coach Brendon McCullum.
As per a report by the Athletic, the upcoming three-match home series against Pakistan from August 29 will be Root’s first series in charge of the team. Ironically, the wooden spoon holders in the current 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) table will be led by Babar Azam, who also returned to the top job for a second stint after being named captain recently, three years after he was removed.
Harry Brook Ignored
Interestingly, Root will lead the team despite Harry Brook being the vice-captain. Moreover, Stokes had put his weight behind England’s ODI and T20I captain for the top job post-retirement. The 27-year-old had claimed himself that he was ready to take charge in all three formats.Last month when Stokes was suspended for the second Test against New Zealand for an alleged altercation at a nightclub, Root led the team instead of the designated vice-captain Brook.
“There’s a reason why he was asked to be vice-captain of this team. I know that with all the controversy over the last couple of weeks, there were some decisions that were made [Root leading the team], but those were decisions that I wasn’t part of making.You’re asked to be vice captain of the team for a certain reason. I was vice captain under Joe for a long time and it’s a natural progression. If the captain’s not there or unavailable, then he had to do that. So there’s absolutely no reason why Harry shouldn’t [do it].
“He’s someone who’s obviously an incredible player, one of the more senior players in this group, but we all know he’s a phenomenally talented individual when it comes to his skills as a batter. And if you love a bit more responsibility on the shoulders with this team, we don’t know if that’s going to show any more improvement in the skills that he’s already got. Only time will tell, but you don’t ask someone to be vice captain if you don’t think that they’ve got the skills and the ability to be able to captain the team when they need to. So if I was to be asked who I think should do it, I’m throwing my 100% support behind Harry Brook,” said Stokes in a press conference after third Test against England, which was his final game for England.
The report by the Athletic states that Root was chosen in order to allow Brook leading the team in white-ball cricket, where McCullum is still the head coach.
The published information states that Root is set to lead the team till the next Ashes, which will take place next year in June and July and be hosted by England. This means he will lead the team in the away series against South Africa as well as the 150th anniversary Test against Australia at the MCG.
Root is England’s most successful Test captain in history with 27 wins, but no one has led the team in as many matches (65) as him, either. However, his first stint had a nightmare end with just one victory in 17 matches. England lost the second Test to New Zealand in June, when the took charge of the side.
There is still no clarity on who England’s next head coach will be, and Marcus Trescothick is likely to be the interim coach for the series against Pakistan.