Joe Root has been reappointed as England Test captain, earning a second opportunity at a role he has already performed more than any other individual.
Root has led in 65 Tests, stepping in earlier in the summer with Ben Stokes suspended for the second match of the series against New Zealand having concluded his first full-time stint in 2022.
With Stokes retired, and Stephen Fleming appointed as Brendon McCullum’s successor as Test head coach, the 35-year-old has answered his country’s call again to take on the captaincy and add to his record tally.
Root’s past as skipper is mixed – long groomed for the role, he succeeded Alastair Cook in early 2017 and enjoyed initial success, making 190 in the first Test after his elevation on the way to a 3-1 series victory over South Africa.
A tough Ashes in the winter of 2017/18 soon followed, though, and it is against Australia that Root tended to struggle as skipper – winning just two Tests across three series defeats as England captain.
The arrival of Covid and resultant restrictions during the pandemic proved significant, too – after securing a series win in South Africa at the end of 2019, England struggled through a busy, blighted period that eventually led to Root’s stepping down in 2022.
That followed a run of one win in 17 Tests, encompassing another Ashes series Down Under, with the Yorkshireman later admitting he had developed an “unhealthy relationship” with the captaincy.
In all, he has won 27 and lost 27 of his 65 Tests in charge – with 11 draws leaving a win percentage of 41.53 per cent. Stokes finished his career with a win percentage of 54.54 per cent, behind only Mike Brearley among captains to lead England more than 15 times.
Root’s average with the bat dipped slightly as captain: a respectable 46.70 as skipper compares to an outstanding 53.34 otherwise.
