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4 hours ago
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As England’s batting coach for a good deal of Joe Root’s first spell as Test captain, I saw directly how conscientious he was in the role. It was impossible not to feel for him at the end, when results dried up and he was almost alone on a burning deck.
Whenever I am asked who my favourite current cricketer is, I struggle to look beyond Root. He is such a grounded individual and clearly a fabulous player. He is also his own best coach, always first in the nets and last out of them, forever thinking about his game and how to improve those one-percenters.
He has a wonderful sense of humour and, in his second spell as captain, my hope is that he is able to have more fun in the role; that he can see the bigger picture and not get bogged down by it. Playing under Ben Stokes should hopefully have taught him that. As badly as the whole thing ended, the better aspects of the environment under Stokes and Brendon McCullum are worth persevering with.
Clearly things are very different now. In his previous stint, Root was blessed with having Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad at his disposal. Although it was not all positive. Being able to turn to them potentially stymied both the development of other bowlers and meant Root was less intuitive than he might have been. It often felt as if he was one over behind the game rather than thinking one over ahead.
Plenty will come down to the relationship he has with Stephen Fleming when he eventually comes in as head coach. When Trevor Bayliss was in that role, his natural way was to be more in the background; to ask questions and make little interjections but also leave plenty of space for individuals to come to the fore. That approach allows those players with stronger minds and voices to lead.
But looking back, there was a view from some of us on the sidelines that Root – and very possibly Alastair Cook before him – needed a more proactive approach from their head coach. I would expect a quality individual like Fleming – both an experienced coach and a former Test captain himself – to challenge Root and also look to broaden the number of players thinking like leaders in the dressing room.
Fleming will hopefully encourage Root to trust his gut more and get him to think more outside the box on the field. In turn, Root should be at the stage where he is increasingly comfortable doing this. The fact is, he now has a mix of bowlers with high potentials but who are still finding their way individually and as a unit. Roles are still being defined and spots are yet to be fully locked down.
They could be a very good blend as captain and head coach, and the fact that England have had to turn back to Root clearly reflects the lack of options. Once Ollie Pope lost his place in the side and Harry Brook had his rather eventful winter, they clearly felt they had no other choice. The whole thing has been a bit of a mess, though, and the outcome feels like a halfway house.
The fact is, sections of the management have been in their roles a long time and very bullish along the way, only to see their aggressive philosophy end up being exposed in Australia. Now they are rowing back on it. That Fleming will not be in place until the winter is both a shame for Root but also a poor look. It is – or at least should be – a job that any coach wants to begin straight away.
In the meantime it does give an opportunity for Marcus Trescothick to develop as a head coach, even if the squad chosen for the first two Tests against Pakistan does not address one big issue. Balancing the side is not easy post-Stokes but I am gobsmacked Rehan Ahmed is not being invested in here. At the very least he should be in the squad to have the option of a spin-bowling all-rounder at No 7.
England have already announced that Dan Lawrence will be performing this role from No 6, bowling his part-time off-breaks, which again I find limiting and almost perplexing. Surely you get to the ground to assess the pitch and the conditions before working out the balance of your attack.
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I am pleased to see Lawrence given another chance, likewise Pope as the spare batter. Both players can still succeed at Test level. They are high quality and were perhaps affected by some of the messaging in the past. Having seen Lawrence make an excellent double century against Hampshire this summer, I know he will still be looking to dominate. The key will be his decision making and his overall mindset.
Coming back into the England team after being dropped is something I struggled with in my Test career, almost as if the pressure went up a notch each time. I remember Alan Knott on the coaching staff once telling me that I should play every game as if it was my last. While it was clearly well meaning, it was not remotely what I needed to hear. I hope Pope and Lawrence are made to feel differently.
A challenge for all of England’s batters in the first Test will be the adjustment after weeks of batting against the white-ball. In the Hundred, players look to hit the ball early, hands often in front of the body and standing more leg-side to broaden the arc of their swing. For all that modern players look to attack across all formats these days, they must play later and tighter to the body this week.
The best thing they can all do this week is to watch Root’s body language and tempo at the crease. He is busy and looks to score, he is always assessing conditions, the bowling, and weighing up risk to make good, informed decisions.
I am amazed that more England players don’t try to copy him and it is here where this second spell as captain could have the most impact.
