England vs New Zealand: Joe Root to captain on ‘game-by-game basis’ but is ‘envious’ of Ben Stokes
Root’s close friend Stokes was left out of the England squad the night after victory in the first Test after the team breached a midnight curfew and was present when a member of England’s security staff was hit by a Saracens rugby player.
Root said he had spoken to Stokes since last week’s incident but wanted to keep his conversations private. He argued that Stokes still had respect for the dressing room.
Root’s previous tenure ended with a streak of one hit in 17 Tests and he said earlier this year he would rate his chances of becoming captain again as a “0.1% chance”.
Last year he said the “ship has sailed” about becoming England’s white-ball captain.
Speaking on Wednesday, Root said: “Let’s not look beyond this week.
“That’s the most important thing, to try to do really well this week.
“It’s a pretty young group of players. So, [I want] “I will offer my experience in this capacity and focus solely on achieving my goal this week.”
Root was selected to replace vice-captain Harry Brook, who was penalized by a bouncer during off-field altercations in Wellington the night before last winter’s white-ball match.
He will lead an inexperienced England squad that includes debutants Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker this week.
It is not yet clear whether goalkeeper Jamie Smith, whose wife is expecting their second child, will be available. Otherwise, the third actor will be Somerset’s James Rew.
Root had previously said he was stepping down as captain because he had a “very unhealthy relationship” with the job, but this time he said he just had to “give it some thought” before confirming he would return.
“The only thought that comes to my mind is what’s best for this team and will that have a big impact on me and my personal life and will that outweigh the other?” he said.
Talking about his previous tenure, he added: “We played about 20 Test matches in these Covid environments and watched the rest of the world return to normal around you.
“You live very differently than the rest of society.
“Over time, this took its toll on both the band and me.
“I realized that I was so caught up in everything that I wasn’t the person I wanted to be and now was the right time to step away, and not just because our performances weren’t where they needed to be.
“It was a great opportunity to make a fresh start in English cricket and it was absolutely the right decision.
“It will be great to experience that side of it, the captaincy side, with Baz and the coaching group.
“I’ve never had more fun or gotten more out of any group of coaches.”
