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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) re-appointed Joe Root as the Test captain after Ben Stokes retired from international cricket after the 1-2 loss against New Zealand at home. Ahead of their next series at home against Pakistan, interim head coach Marcus Trescothick has shared his views on Root being named as the captain once again in the traditional format.
The Three Lions have not won their last three series; with two losses and one draw, they are under extreme pressure. The ECB also sacked Brendon McCullum from the Test head coach role and appointed former New Zealand National Cricket Team captain Stephen Fleming as the new head coach, who is set to join the side from the South Africa tour.
Marcus Trescothick reveals reason behind Joe Root's Test captaincy re-appointment
While speaking on England’s official social media page, Trescothick revealed the reason why Joe Root returned as a Test captain. He highlighted the positive attitude shown by Joe Root after taking charge against New Zealand at The Oval, as Stokes was suspended for the 2nd Test match following the latter’s nightclub controversy; Root had the enthusiasm to lead the team again.
Trescothick while speaking on England's media stated, "We've had numerous conversations on the phone, we've obviously got together during selection just to sort of chew the fat and sort of see how we're going to manage it and sort of directing a kind of each other in terms of like this is where we're going to be, you'll be managing that, I'll be managing this and try and relieve as much of the pressure as possible."
"His best attribute is getting people to follow him." 🧢
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 17, 2026
Trescothick on Root returning as captain.
Click below for the full interview:
"You know, I think we've got a similar style, we're very similar people in terms of, you know, very calm, very good-natured in terms of wanting to get the best out of people. You know, we've seen the journey that he's had over a long period of time and now back into it, even when he took over for the game against New Zealand at the Oval."
Marcus Trescothick warns Joe Root ahead of first match against Pakistan
Trescothick also stated that the 35-year-old was happy after leading the side, and he is always excited to lead the side. The interim head coach also mentioned that this time it will be different for Root as a captain with the kind of decisions he will make and stressed the importance of moving on from the difficult period he and the team went through recently.
The former opener further added, "You know, the smile on his face, the way that the excitement it brings to be leading a team and sort of, you know, sort of having the decisions to make and making it all work again was right there."
"And, you know, we're in such different times for him now, which is going to be so important. You know, it was the period before, you know, we draw a line under that, some real challenging times, not just for him and the team, but for everybody in life."
"His best attribute....."- Marcus Trescothick on Joe Root's best attribute
Marcus Trescothick also mentions the transformation in the team and also reveals the calm and composed nature of Joe Root, and also states that every young cricketer and other players look up to him and follow him as well, as a captain, and Root’s job will also be to guide the cricketers according to his leadership philosophy.
The interim head coach concluded, saying, "So, you know, the team is evolving, but you've got a leader and someone who's going to be very consistent, very calm. You know, his best attribute would be getting people to follow him and just how they want to, how he wants it to be done."
"Combine that with a few real sort of nitty-gritty nuts and bolts of the style of play and what we want to do and tweaking that. And, you know, he's going to have somebody who's going to enjoy himself for a good period of time."
