Joe Root has revealed that the arrival of Stephen Fleming as England's new Test head coach was a major influence in his decision to accept the captaincy once more. Root expressed his eagerness to collaborate with the former New Zealand cricketer, aiming to build 'something pretty special' together.
"If I'm being brutally honest, he was a big reason why I wanted to do it," Root told the ECB's official website. "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."
Root highlighted Fleming's extensive experience as both a player and a coach. "He's obviously got a wealth of experience and done some amazing things within the game as a player and as a coach. Very much looking forward to the next little while and us trying to build something pretty special together."
Reflecting on taking charge for a second time, Root acknowledged that while the emotions are similar to when he first accepted the role in 2017, his accumulated experience now equips him better. "The unique and nice position I find myself in this time is I've got a wealth of experience in terms of knowing what it takes, knowing what it looks like, having seen success with it and seeing some hard times as well," he stated. "I've got a lot to fall back on and help me and the team moving forward." He added that few captains get such an opportunity with the extensive game experience he now possesses.
Root also admitted he has changed significantly since his initial tenure as captain concluded in 2022. "I'm hugely different," he said. "Anyone that says they're the same person they were is probably lying. All of the experiences that you have along the way throughout that period, you're going to be shaped into a slightly different person. And I think that will be very similar in terms of how I want to take this team forward."
He also reflected on the challenges of captaining England during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the prolonged bio-secure environments. "Everyone knows how hard it was from a personal aspect, but when you're trying to live a professional lifestyle in the professional cricket world where it's very much results-based, you haven't got a consistent team, you're trying to play all three formats, teams taking different priorities, again, just spending vast amounts of time away from your families and loved ones."
Root noted that the team spent 23 Tests in such environments over two years, which took a significant toll. "That's going to weigh heavily on you. So, to try and manage all that and compete with the two best sides in the world at home and away, in India and Australia, it made it very difficult for us. Clearly we could have been better and we could have performed better, but it got to a point where that got a little bit too much for me, and it was time to step away." He feels the current situation is very different and he is energised for the upcoming opportunity.
Despite taking over from Ben Stokes, Root emphasized his intention to build upon the culture established by Stokes and former head coach Brendon McCullum. "The wrong thing to do would be to completely rip everything up that we've done over the last four years," Root commented. "There's so much good stuff that Ben and Brendan did. They changed the way that we look at the game and how we see the game, and I've benefited hugely from that as a player."
He indicated that while certain areas will be sharpened, the core principles remain. "The last four years have been the most fun I've had in professional cricket. A big part of that was down to the way they got me to see the game, how I fit into that side and the experiences we created on and off the field." Root highlighted the significant shift in mindset, focusing on stripping away fear to allow players' talents to emerge, especially in crucial moments.
Root believes that by combining this fearless approach with strategic awareness – knowing when to apply pressure and when to absorb it – the team can become formidable. "If we can do that alongside recognising when the right time is to put pressure back on teams, but when the right time is to soak it up and maybe play situations slightly differently, become a little bit smarter in certain areas, then I think we'll be a very formidable team and a very difficult team to break down and to beat."
