Joe Root said Stephen Fleming’s appointment as England’s Test coach was a “big reason” he agreed to return as captain of the squad.
Root replaced Ben Stokes after the all-rounder retired following the home series against New Zealand. Fleming succeeds compatriot Brendon McCullum, whose four-year Test tenure ended last month, though he remains England’s white-ball coach.
“If I’m being brutally honest, it was a big reason why I wanted to do it,” Root told the England and Wales Cricket Board.
“I’m very excited by the way he sees the game, where he sees us sit as a team, and the work that we have to do to get to where we want to get to. All of that got me very excited about taking this role on.”
“He’s obviously got a wealth of experience and done some amazing things within the game as a player and as a coach, and I’m very much looking forward to the next little while, and us trying to build something pretty special together.”
Former New Zealand captain Fleming coached Chennai Super Kings for 17 years in the Indian Premier League before leaving last month. Root led England as their full-time test captain between 2017 and 2022 before he was replaced by Stokes.
Stokes and McCullum championed a take-no-prisoners approach, which endeared them to the fans and Root hinted he and Fleming would like to retain that attacking mindset.
“The last four years have been the most fun I’ve had in professional cricket…,” said the 35-year-old. “Clearly, the last little while is probably what’s fresh in everyone’s mind, but you’re looking at a four-year period where we did a lot of amazing things.
“I’ve taken a lot from that, and I feel it will be a big part of how I want to approach things moving forward as a leader of this team.”
McCullum inspired Stokes to make England play with flair and power, but that approach did not work against Australia and India.
England failed to win a Test series against either of their main rivals in the Stokes-McCullum era, a dismal run culminating in an Ashes thrashing in Australia.
That series and England’s recent clash with New Zealand were both marred by issues involving players drinking, with Stokes and Gus Atkinson left out of the second Test against the Black Caps after breaking a team curfew in a nightclub incident.
Root, a more conservative figure than the brash Stokes, plans to be stricter in his time as captain, without indicating if that will include off-field behaviour.
“I’ve benefitted hugely from that as a player so to think we have to start all over again would be wrong. But there are areas we want to sharpen up a little bit and become a little bit sterner with,” he said.
“The last four years is the most fun I’ve had in cricket and most of that is down to the way they got me to see the game.
“Clearly the last little while is fresh in everyone’s minds but you’re looking at a four-year period where we did a lot of good things.”
England host Pakistan for a three-Test series beginning in Leeds on August 19.
Source: Khaleej Times