OPINION
Follow UsOn Friday, Joe Root stepped down as the captain of the English Test team, bringing to an end a tenure that lasted 5 years. Statistically, Root’s time at the helm was more a miss than a hit (P64 W27 L26 and 42.18% win percentage) but it’s hard to label the 31-year-old as a bad captain based on numbers alone, for, more often than not, he had at his disposal players who struggled to break through at the international level. We scan through the highs and lows of Root’s Test captaincy, and also look at who could potentially take over the reins from him.
READ: Root’s contemplated captaincy career that blew hot and cold
High: Kick-starting captaincy career by thrashing the Proteas (2017)
Joe Root’s first assignment as Test skipper was a tough one, a four-Test series against Faf du Plessis’ South Africa, but he passed the test with flying colours. After a comprehensive win in the first game, the Three Lions were thrashed by 340 runs in the second, but Root’s men showed great character to bounce back and win the series 3-1. Root, incidentally, also finished the series as the highest run-getter, with 461 runs in 8 innings.
Low: Drubbing in the 2017/18 Ashes
After winning his first two series as skipper, Root endured a reality check in Australia. In his first assignment away from home, the England skipper saw his side get humiliated 4-0 as the Aussies regained the urn. Nothing went Root and England’s way that series, and he also did not lead from the front with the bat, failing to post a three-digit score.
Low: 58 all-out away in New Zealand
As if getting thumped 4-0 in the Ashes wasn’t bad enough, Root’s second series away from home saw his side get bowled out for 58 on the very first day of the series. The Three Lions were 27/9 at one point, on track to creating unwanted history, but were saved from utter humiliation thanks to a 33* from Craig Overton. The morning session alone ensured that England walked away from the series empty-handed.
High: Smashing Virat Kohli’s India 4-1 at home
Under the leadership of Virat Kohli, India, in 2018, entered England with the sole aim of winning the series. The five-Test series was a tightly contested one from the very beginning, but in a result that no one saw coming, Root & Co. ended up winning the series 4-1. The scoreline, in a way, flattered to deceive, but Root’s England kept their composure when it mattered, and won all the key moments that mattered. Root did not set the series alight with the bat, but utilized his resources mighty effectively.
Low: Losing away to Jason Holder’s West Indies (2019)
It was during the series in the Caribbean that Root’s tenure started feeling like ‘one step forward, two steps backwards’. Following the humiliation in the Ashes and in New Zealand, England got back on track with the impressive series win over India (home) and Sri Lanka (away). In the Sri Lanka series, it felt like they’d unearthed new stars in Jack Leach and Ben Foakes. However, everything went for a toss in the Caribbean as the Three Lions suffered a shock 1-2 series loss. They were completely outplayed in the first two games of the series, and in the first Test in Bridgetown, England were bundled out for yet another sub-100 score. Though England managed to salvage something by winning the third Test by 232 runs, the level at which they operated in the first two games was alarming.
Low: Letting Australia retain the urn in 2019
In September 2019, Joe Root became the first English captain in 18 years to not beat Australia at home. Australia brought to England an under-confident side that’d barely won games away from home in the preceding years, but the Kangaroos still managed to thoroughly outplay England in the series. The hosts did not function well as a team, and had to rely on individual brilliance to win them matches. Though the series eventually ended 2-2, it became evident that England had a lot of work to do in the longest format.
High: An impressive 3-1 series win away in South Africa
Long before the pretentious ‘red-ball reset’ that England underwent last month, there was a proper reset that happened three years ago. The likes of Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope were thrust into the side, and under Chris Silverwood, England looked like a side that was on the rise. The series away in New Zealand did not go their way, but with a young core, the Three Lions conquered a Proteas side that featured Vernon Philander, Dean Elgar, Faf du Plessis and Kagiso Rabada among others. The likes of Sibley and Pope came into their own, and, all of a sudden, the future looked bright. For once, it felt like there was real potential.
High: A successful 2020
England became the first side to play Test cricket after the pandemic, and in the games they played against West Indies and Pakistan, there were once again signs of progress. The likes of Sibley, Crawley and Pope backed up their showings in South Africa with fine performances, while the Three Lions were also grooming Dom Bess by playing him in the XI regularly. On a personal front, Root had a summer to forget, but it didn’t matter as England beat good Pakistan and West Indies sides.
High: The unexpected victory in Chennai
Hardly anyone gave England a chance ahead of the four-match series in India, but Root and England shocked the world by thrashing the hosts by 227 runs in the first Test of the series. Root became the first captain in four years to win a Test in India. The icing on the cake was the fact that the skipper also was directly responsible for the win, scoring an impeccable double-ton that rinsed the Indian attack.
Low: 5 losses in 7 Tests against India
As it turned out, the victory in Chennai eventually turned out to be inconsequential in the larger scheme of things. For one, England went on to get battered in the remaining three games of the series, but Root’s men also then were comprehensively outplayed at home by Kohli’s India. The Three Lions put up an impressive showing in Leeds, but were thoroughly outclassed in the other three games. In Nottingham, it was rain that saved England from what looked like a certain defeat. Root, at this point, was by some distance the best batter in the world, but the team’s results left a lot to be desired.
Low: Humiliations in Australia and West Indies
Root’s tenure came full circle as it ended almost exactly the way it started: with humiliations in Australia and West Indies. The defeat in the 2021/22 Ashes turned out to be far worse than the one in 2017/18, for England did not even compete. Everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong for Root, and his side were getting hammered left, right and center. And just like in 2017, a three-figure score eluded the England captain.
Versus West Indies, England tinkered with their team a little, but they still had no business losing a three-match series 0-1 to a side that was struggling for form and confidence. In the aftermath of the defeat, Root claimed that he had no intentions of giving up Test captaincy, but at that point, the end did seem near.
Low: Questionable player management
Outside the results, Root also did not have the greatest of track records when it came to player management. He never was able to get the best out of Jofra Archer, and at times was guilty of bowling him into the ground, and also tended to be reckless in the way he handled Stokes. Root also was far from an ideal captain for spin bowlers, and mismanaged all of Moeen Ali, Dom Bess and Jack Leach at some point.
Who will be the successor to Root?
The biggest headache now for the ECB is to decide who takes over the reins from Root. The obvious candidate is Ben Stokes, but handing over captaincy to Stokes might not be the wisest of calls. He not only is struggling with multiple injuries, he also already has plenty on his plate. The last thing England would want is to not get 100% from Stokes the player.
Stuart Broad could be a temporary solution, but he is 35 and is not a guaranteed starter away from home.
Really, outside of Broad, the only other practical option is Jonny Bairstow. Currently a starter in the Test XI, Bairstow has plenty of experience and is also young enough to be able to lead the side for at least a three-year period. Even if the ECB are looking at a temporary option, Bairstow might not be the worst of choices.
