England talismanic batter Joe Root has revealed that Stephen Fleming’s appointment as the new red-ball head coach made him return as the full-time England Test captain for a second stint following Ben Stokes’ retirement.
Notably, Root previously stepped down as the red-ball captain in 2022 after facing a challenging five-year tenure. While speaking to the ECB, Root has admitted that the opportunity to work alongside Fleming was one of the biggest reasons behind him accepting the leadership role again.
“If I’m being brutally honest, it [Fleming’s appointment] was a big reason why I wanted to do it. 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 told the ECB.
“I’m very much looking forward to working with him. He’s obviously got a wealth of experience and done some amazing things within the game as a player and as a coach, and I’m very much looking forward to the next little while, and us trying to build something pretty special together,” he added.
Root has been reappointed as the full-time Test captain, taking over from Ben Stokes, who announced his international retirement. Root has captained England 65 times, winning 27, losing 27 and drawing 11 games.
It’s important to note that Fleming’s role will only begin after England’s Test series against Pakistan. Former England batter Marcus Trescothick will serve as the interim head coach for the Pakistan series.
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