“Captaincy Was Starting To Take A Toll On Me; I Just Felt Like A Bit Of A Zombie” – Joe Root

Former England National Cricket Team red-ball captain Joe Root has opened up on the impact of captaincy, saying that the job had started to take a toll on him and he wasn’t able to enjoy the time with his family.

Joe Root stepped down as England captain on Friday, April 15, 2022, after a terrible run of the side under his leadership for an extended period of time. Overall, he led England in 64 Tests, winning 27 and losing 26.

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Joe Root said that sometimes he used to think about events he had no control over or had already happened previously and felt like a zombie.

“The captaincy was starting to take a toll on me,” Root was quoted as saying by dailymail.co.uk. “It was getting to the point where I wasn’t really present at home. The limited time I did get to spend with family, which should be enjoyed and treasured, I wasn’t able to do that. I wasn’t really there. I came to realise that that had been the case for a little while.”

“I was there but there were times when I was thinking about something I couldn’t control or something that hadn’t happened previously. You go in on yourself. We would still do what we would normally do as a family but I would not be listening. I just felt like a bit of a zombie almost.”

“I could see it frustrating the kids because I wasn’t properly playing with them or I was talking to Carrie and I would zone out. I could start seeing it have an impact on me as a person. You want to bring your personality to the role, not bring the role to your personality. It was reversing into something slightly unhealthy,” he recalled.

It was a very difficult decision – Joe Root on stepping down as skipper

Joe Root further said that the decision to quit the captaincy was a tough one to make. However, he admitted that although the decision was hard, he felt much better after stepping down as a skipper.

“It was a very difficult decision (stepping down) because it is such a fantastic role to get the honour to do and I loved doing it. I was also trying to make the right decision not just for myself but most importantly for what the team required at that point,” he said.

“I didn’t feel like I had the energy or the right outlook on things to be able to do that properly. As hard as it was to give up the captaincy, as soon as I had done it, I did feel so much better for it and have done ever since,” he added.

Joe Root also said that he is very proud of the way England performed under his leadership and was glad that he got the opportunity to captain England for a long period of time.

“It is a period of my career that I will always fondly look back on and think I am very proud of what we achieved as a side and proud of the fact I got to do it for such a long period of time and I will always be grateful for the support I got during that period. I am really looking forward to looking at the game slightly differently,” the 31-year-old said.

“As captain, players find it difficult to come and talk to you and be vulnerable with you and I have always wanted to help and offer insight or advice. But when you are associated with selection or in a position of leadership, guys find it difficult,” he added.

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