England Test captain Joe Root says he wants to continue in that role despite the West Indies suffering another series defeat on his side in the crucial third Test in Grenada. Remarkably, Root has managed just one win in 17 Tests and has failed to lead England to a series win in his last five attempts.
Even before West Indies had secured the series 1-0 after drawing in the first two Tests, commentators questioned whether Root would want to continue after five years in the captaincy role.
But Root himself has been adamant about his position after their 10-wicket loss.
“I think I made it pretty clear what I think of this team,” he said.
“I’m very passionate. I feel like I have the men’s support behind me to move the team forward. That hasn’t changed at all.”
Previously, former England bowler Steve Harmison suggested Root should step down.
“For his own sanity, he has to think a lot about what he’s going to do with his future,” Harmison said during the TV match commentary.
Despite being one of the world’s top batsmen with a Test average near 50, Root has rarely looked like a natural leader and has earned a reputation as an unimaginative captain.
Harmison said that for all the talk of Root’s tactical skill in the field, or lack thereof, he was hardly to blame for England’s frequent struggles at the bat.
“It’s not his fault we keep collapsing under pressure and losing 10 wickets in one session,” he said.
Root acknowledged the poor batting performances of the top flight in Grenada.
“I don’t think we’re reading the surface as well as we could have individually,” he said.
“We didn’t get a handle on it out here this week. We’ve made some big strides in this department, but there’s still work to be done.”
The Caribbean Series loss to a struggling West Indies side ranked eighth in the world follows a 4-0 win over Australia in the Ashes.
Some pundits have questioned whether Root remains captain because, apart from perhaps Ben Stokes, no one is guaranteed a spot on the team and Stokes has not expressed interest in the role.
Root conceded that no matter how much he wants to lead England into a busy home summer of testing that starts in barely two months, it may not be up to him.
“I don’t think it will ever be entirely in your hands,” he said.
