CRICKET – England named Joe Root as Test captain and appointed former New Zealand batter Stephen Fleming as head coach yesterday following the departures of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
Root, 35, England’s all-time leading run scorer in Tests, captained the side in a record 64 matches between 2017 and 2022, winning 27 of them.
He returns to the role after Stokes retired from international cricket in June and will lead England in the three-Test home series against Pakistan starting on August 19.
“It is a great honour and privilege to be asked to be England men’s Test captain again,” Root said in a statement.
“The Test captaincy is a difficult but hugely rewarding job and, after enjoying a brief taste of it again working with Brendon McCullum last month, I am excited to lead this next generation of players forward.”
“The opportunity to do that alongside Stephen is also a huge motivator. He has proved over a long period of time that he is an exceptional leader with a great knowledge of the game, and I am looking forward to working with him and helping to build a winning environment.”
Root, second on the all-time Test run-scorer list with 14,114 runs behind only India’s Sachin Tendulkar, led England in the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval this summer in Stokes’ absence.
&uuid=(email))