Will Bazball continue under Joe Root's captaincy? England star answers

Star England batter Joe Root has revealed that it was Stephen Fleming’s appointment as the Test head coach that made him consider leading the team again. Root has been appointed as England’s new Test captain following Ben Stokes’ retirement during the third Test against New Zealand in Nottingham.

Following Stokes' departure, Brendon McCullum was also sacked as head coach, leaving England’s Test leadership group vacant. The ECB has now appointed Root and Stephen Fleming in the roles ahead of their upcoming series against Pakistan, beginning on August 19. 

Root returns to lead England after resigning from his position in 2022 and is excited to work alongside Fleming, whose appointment was a big reason behind him taking the captaincy mantle all over 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 England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Root said that he’s a completely different person from who he was in 2022. He mentioned how he will take the lessons from the McCullum-Stokes regime and will incorporate those learnings going ahead.

"The last four years have been the most fun I've had in professional cricket, and a big part of that was down to the way that they got me to see the game, how I fit into that side, and the experiences that we managed to create on and off the field. Clearly, the last little while is probably what's fresh in everyone's mind, but you're looking at a four-year period where we did a lot of amazing things. I've taken a lot from that, and I feel it will be a big part of how I want to approach things moving forward as a leader of this team,” Root said.

Root highlighted how England’s aggressive style of play helped them to get on top of the game in big moments.

"The thing that stands out the most for me is the shift in mindset that was created around how we want to play the game: trying to strip the fear away from things, make sure guys feel that they can really just allow their talent to come out as frequently as possible, and in big moments in games. The more that can happen, the better,” he added.

We need to play situations slightly differently: Root

The 35-year-old said that the team needs to learn when to put pressure and when to soak it in moving ahead.

"If we can do that alongside recognising when the right time is to put pressure back on teams, or when the right time is to soak it up and to 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,” he said.

Root has led England most times in Tests, winning and losing 27 matches apiece out of 65 games. England will announce the squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan in the coming week. Players will have two full training days before the first Test at Headingley on August 19.

Marcus Trescothick will serve as the interim head coach of the team for the series, with Fleming being in New Zealand due to family commitments.