Vital for Joe Root to take a leaf out of Andrew Strauss’s book on captaincy
When then England captain Andrew Strauss used to come up to me during Test matches around 2010, he would be decisive. In turn, I would be absolutely clear about my role in the team and what was expected.
It makes everyone’s job a lot easier when a skipper establishes that level of clarity and in my view communication is one of the most important tasks for Joe Root when his Test captaincy begins in earnest in July.
I have no doubt that Root will take captaincy, like he has everything else in his domestic and international career, well within his stride, but it is no longer just a case of batting at No3 or No4 and trying to score runs.
His lack of experience as a skipper has become a bit of a talking point – he has only captained for four first-class matches – and it’s fair to say that getting this summer’s series against South Africa and West Indies under his belt before the Ashes in the winter will be hugely beneficial.
Needless to say, captaining in English conditions is a lot different to other places around world, and that includes Australia, which is something Root’s predecessor Alastair Cook found out during the 2013-14 Ashes.
Strauss’s tactics worked well Down Under in 2010-11 when we tried to bore the Australian batsmen out but that didn’t work last time and Cook’s captaincy came under scrutiny for not being inventive enough.
So it will be vital for Root to have those series and for him to get used to leading a set of players, shouldering the responsibility of getting decisions right on the pitch and communicating with players and management.
FIERY AND AGGRESSIVE
Cook still being in the side will be a major advantage, as will be the experience of seam duo Stuart Broad and James Anderson. Those players are not going to be shy about throwing their opinions to a young captain.
Likewise, Root cannot be shy about taking their opinions on board, something which he confirmed he was very much open to at his official unveiling at Headingley on Wednesday.
There is also Ben Stokes of course, who has been promoted to the position of Root’s vice-captain. He’s a different personality to Root, someone who is fiery and aggressive. By all accounts the Durham all-rounder has also become very vocal in the dressing room.
The 2013-14 Ashes was the first time I really got to know Root and Stokes and it was striking how good their cricket brains were. They were only in their early twenties then so have had another three years or so to mature and develop.
I can only see the partnership of Root and Stokes gelling. They were best mates on that tour of Australia and have played a lot of cricket together since for that bond to be fortified. The combination of senior players surrounding Root is also something I believe will work seamlessly.
England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves this week backed Root to take England to the next level and I agree. Root has the respect of the entire country and I believe he, with the help of the side’s experienced heads, will drive this team forward.