Joe Root says he regrets not playing with the same attacking tactics as Ben Stokes when he was England captain…
- England have impressed since Ben Stokes replaced Joe Root as captain
- After their loss at Edgbaston, England have won 11 of 14 Tests under Stokes
- Root wishes he had shown the same attack intent as Stokes
Joe Root wished he had shown Ben Stokes’ entrepreneurial spirit and attacking intent when he was England captain.
The world No. 1 ranked batsman has fully embraced the modern methods which, despite a narrow defeat to Australia in Edgbaston, have transformed their Test cricket and created a new template for how the game should be played.
And Root only wishes he had shown the same sense of adventure, with much the same staff, that his great friend Stokes has drawn from to revolutionize Test cricket.
“If I could go back in time I would start my captaincy the way Ben has and try to play the same way he does,” said Root in the aftermath of the epic first Test.
“It’s much more exciting, much more interesting and we’re getting more out of our team and our individuals. We play better cricket to watch and generally produce better results.’
Joe Root wished he showed the same attacking intent as Ben Stokes as captain
Root’s run as captain ended with a dismal run of just one win in his captain’s last 17 Tests
Stokes, meanwhile, has 11 wins in 14 Tests since replacing Root as captain
The past year must have been bittersweet for Root in many ways. He captained England in 64 Tests, more than any other leader, and holds the England record for both wins, 27, and losses in 26.
But he was never a natural captain and his reign ended miserably with humiliation in the final Ashes and then a desperately dull defeat in the Caribbean when Root and coach Chris Silverwood’s methods were shown to be utterly lacking in imagination.
He wouldn’t be a man if he didn’t wonder why he couldn’t inspire this England team the way Stokes does, especially on that latest dismal run where they won just once in the last 17 Tests under Root’s captaincy.
Much to Root’s credit for putting that behind him to become a loyal Lieutenant to Stokes and a batsman who combines the play that has now taken him 30 Test centuries with the breathtaking audacity of reversed ramps to the first ball of a play day.
Now he wants England to keep their spirits up and support the game that has seen them take 11 wins from the first 14 Tests under Stokes, despite the setback at Edgbaston.
“If we want to grow as a team, we can’t look at days like the last in Edgbaston with a few moments working against us and saying ‘we have to do things differently.’ If there’s anything we need to double down on the way we’re doing it, stand behind ourselves completely and make sure we get that one per center at Lord’s.”
England will now take stock before they begin preparations for the second Test on Monday, but the former captain believes this series can really follow the same dramatic path as the legendary 2005, when England lost the first Test but thrilled to win the Ashes won.
“Time will tell, but I think we’re in for a roller coaster ride,” Root said. “That 2005 series has taken the nation by storm. It did for me as a 14-15 year old kid. It really made me fall in love with the Ashes and if we keep playing the way we are, we have a chance to do something similar for the next generation.”
Root insists England are playing better cricket now with better results than when he was captain – despite Stokes losing to Australia in the first Test of the Ashes at Edgbaston
And there will be more of the ‘Superman’ style with Root aiming a reverse scoop at Pat Cummins from the first pitch of day four at Birmingham, before aiming two more at Scott Boland in the next over and taking him for six and hit four. .
“I don’t feel like Superman,” Root smiled. “I’m absolutely bricking it when he usually rushes in to bowl. The first time I did it in this test it was pretty clear he was bowling wide and it didn’t feel like there was much risk involved.
“Doing until the first ball of the day was more about the game situation and being 28 for two. It was a chance to put down a marker and say to everyone in the ground, ‘we’re not here to bowl, we’re here to keep the game going’.
“I think that’s how we all look at the game now. From any position we feel we can get somewhere to go further and win.”