‘The landscape is very different now’: Joe Root explains return to captaincy, talks about McCullum’s departure and the Fleming era | cricket news

Joe Root could hardly have asked for a better start to his return as England Test captain, but his comeback is less about reclaiming an old role and more about accepting a challenge that he now feels better prepared to handle.Root had previously described his relationship with the England captaincy as unhealthy before resigning. However, four years later, he believes his circumstances, experience and perspective have changed significantly.“Well, first of all, I think the landscape is very different now. If you look back, at that time, we were coming out on the other side of COVID, and as a team we had gone through about 20 games in those sorts of environments,” Root told Sky Sports.“And if I’m brutally honest, I think having to do that for so long it wasn’t really the things in the game that wore me down. It was the things around it and being involved in things that weren’t things you’d normally expect to be involved in as England captain.”Root said the prolonged circumstances eventually affected both his enjoyment of the role and his ability to get the best out of himself and his players.“I think they kind of mixed with everything else, and it got to a point where I wasn’t enjoying it anymore, I wasn’t getting the best out of myself, I certainly wasn’t getting the best out of the players,” he said.“But I also think it was a by-product of having to live the way we did for such a long period of time. If you combine that with playing India twice and also Australia during that period, it makes things very difficult, and it got to the point where it was time for someone else to take over.”

Four years changed Root’s perspective

Root believes the time away from the captaincy has given him a different understanding of the game and left him uniquely prepared for another spell as a leader.“And the last four years have probably been the most fun of my career. I was able to look at the game slightly differently, look at it through a different lens which, as you know, once you’re captain, you look at the game slightly differently afterwards,” he said.“And now I feel in a really unique position where I have that experience. Not many people get the opportunity to do it again. And the world is a very different place. I have four more years of experience, a lot more games under my belt, I worked with Brendan and Baz in a slightly different capacity, and I feel really prepared for the challenge ahead of me.”When asked why he was confident the captaincy would not affect him in the same way again, Root offered a cheerful response.“Yeah, I mean, unless we find ourselves in another pandemic. No, I think things are very different now, and the way I get through it will be very different too.”

Root ‘gutted’ by McCullum departure, backs Fleming

Root also admitted that he was disappointed at the departure of Brendan McCullum as Test coach, having credited him with bringing out the best in his cricket.“Yes. I mean, I’ll be honest with you, I was devastated when I found out that Brendan was no longer going to be the trial coach. “He’s someone who I feel has really brought out the best in me personally,” Root said.“I loved the way he sees the game and the way he opened my eyes to see it a little differently, even after 120-plus games or whatever it was when he took over.”Root said he was glad McCullum continued with England’s white-ball teams, adding: “someone I owe a lot to. I’ve also become very close over that period of time.”At the same time, Root expressed his excitement at working with new Test coach Stephen Fleming, whom he has admired since his playing days.“We’ve crossed paths a bit over the last few years when he’s coached different teams around the world, but he’s someone I’ve always admired,” Root said.He praised Fleming’s experience, calmness and track record in high-pressure environments, adding that the new coach “creates a brilliant environment for the boys to thrive”.