I Am Very Grateful That I've Got The Opportunity To Revive England Test Side As Captain: Joe Root
Published - 24 Feb 2022, 04:31 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:05 AM
England Test skipper Joe Root said he is grateful to continue the leadership role and wants to start the West Indies Tests on a fresh note.
England cricket saw a lot of casualties after their disastrous 0-4 Ashes campaign against Australia. ECB’s managing director Ashley Giles stepped down from his role with former England skipper Andrew Strauss taking up the role temporarily.
If all these weren’t sufficient to express how England was hurt by their abysmal performance in the Ashes, the management dropped senior bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad were dropped from the squad for the West Indies Test series.
It was a disappointing tour and we massively underperformed: Joe Root on Ashes
In the aftermath of the Ashes catastrophe, one thing that stunned everyone was Root managed to hold his captaincy post in the red-ball format, perhaps England doesn’t have any alternative at the moment who could take over the reins from the Yorkshire player.
Root accepted that his side didn’t perform well and expressed his dismay at top members of England’s coaching staff being forced to depart.
“It’s never nice when you see people that you’ve worked closely with for a long period of time lose their jobs. They’ve given a huge amount to English cricket. I really hope they find something that fulfils them ” Root said ahead of England’s Test squad departure to the Caribbean.
“Clearly it was a disappointing tour and we massively underperformed. Off the back of it, we have to use this opportunity for a fresh start. I’m very grateful that I’ve got the opportunity to do that as captain,” he added.
We’re not currently one of the best teams in the world: Joe Root
Root along with England all-rounder Ben Stokes decided not to participate in the IPL 2022 auction and dedicate their time and efforts to playing county cricket to restructure Test cricket in the country. The England Test skipper admitted that they are not one of the best sides in the world and will have to moil to rebound.
“Ultimately sometimes it doesn’t take a long time to change things. It can happen quite quickly and that’s what we’re looking for,” he said.
“We have to be honest about where we are, we’re not currently one of the best teams in the world but that can be our ambition and there’s definitely quick strides we can make in getting closer to that and bridge that gap,” he added.
England will play the first Test against West Indies on March 8 in Antigua, the three-match series will conclude on March 29.
Also Read: Joe Root Named ICC Men’s Test Cricketer Of The Year 2021
