England News
Joe Root clear favourite to skipper England for Pakistan Test series
Joe Root is the leading contender to return as England Test captain following Ben Stokes’ shock retirement, with the former skipper potentially taking charge ahead of the Ashes.
Joe Root has emerged as the frontrunner to be reinstalled as England Test captain for next month’s three-match series against Pakistan.
England are without a Test captain following Ben Stokes’ sudden international retirement after last month’s 2-1 loss to New Zealand.
In the aftermath of the series defeat, the Test side were left without a head coach after Brendon McCullum’s role was downsized to just overseeing the white-ball teams.
And according to the Athletic, Root is poised for another captaincy stint and while claims his reappointment is a done deal are wide of the mark, he is now a clear favourite to succeed Stokes.
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Overburdening
Harry Brook is the only other viable candidate and he said last month it would be a “great honour” to assume the Test mantle, while Stokes even endorsed his deputy at his farewell media conference.
However, Brook already has a massive workload skippering the ODI and T20 teams.
The England and Wales Cricket Board will be wary of overburdening the 27-year-old all-format star, as well as doing anything to disrupt the progress of the limited-overs sides.
Fellow Yorkshireman Root’s brief could therefore extend to next summer’s Ashes, allowing Brook and McCullum to concentrate on the 2027 50-over World Cup in southern Africa a few months later.
Heavy toll
Root led England in a record 64 Tests between 2017 and 2022, logging 27 wins, but he fell to as many losses when standing in for Stokes during the second Test against the Black Caps at the Kia Oval last month.
He spoke about the heavy toll the job took first time around, although he appeared reinvigorated by his one-off return in Kennington and did not rule out presiding over the Test team in the future.
With less than four weeks until the first Test against Pakistan on his home ground at Headingley starts on August 19, Root seems set to answer England’s SOS once again.
It was initially thought England would wait for a new head coach to name the new captain but the process to replace McCullum in the Test hotseat is not expected to be completed any time soon.
PICTURE: Adam Davy/PA
Right person
With Andy Flower last week ruling out a comeback to focus on his T20 franchise commitments, the search for McCullum’s successor remains ongoing.
Former England batter Jonathan Trott, who has coached Afghanistan, plus homegrown contender Richard Dawson and former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming are among those in the frame for the role.
England are prepared to wait to get the right person in situ, which could lead to Marcus Trescothick, one of the assistants under McCullum, stepping in as interim head coach against Pakistan.
Trescothick, a former England batter and instrumental in their seminal 2005 Ashes success, has filled in for McCullum in the past, most recently during the side’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean in late 2024.
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