Despite England’s Test series defeat to the West Indies, Joe Root wants to keep his job as captain. After the first two Tests finished in a tie, the West Indies won the third and final Test in Grenada to win the series 1-0.
The fields in Antigua and Barbados were panned for being flat and lifeless. As a result, the pitch curator served up a more lively track, which England succumbed to. In the two innings, they were bowled out for 204 and 120 runs, with Root hitting a duck in the first and just five in the second. Root insisted on continuing as a Test captain despite his failures as a leader and a batter.
This is a team about which I am really enthusiastic: Joe Root is a member of the Root family.
“I believe I’ve stated my feelings on this squad fairly clearly. I’m quite enthusiastic. I believe I have the men’s backing behind me to lead the squad ahead. That hasn’t altered in the least.”
Root has only won one test match in the previous 17 times he has captained England. However, he said that the team was doing everything correctly and that the desired outcome was not far away.
“I get the impression that the gang is very much behind me.” I understand this is a results-driven industry, but it doesn’t seem like we’re far away from seeing results,” Root said.
For England’s controversial Ashes series defeat to Australia, the ECB chose to revamp the whole coaching staff. The board fired both managing director Ashley Giles and coach Chris Silverwood, with Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood, both former Test players, taking control on an interim basis.
In June, England will meet New Zealand in a Test series. With seven defeats, the team sits at the bottom of the ICC WTC 2021-23 points table, whereas Windies has moved up to seventh place with to this series victory.