England Cricket Captain Joe Root Defends Against Criticism Amid Pakistan Test Series
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Joe Root says he is not planning on “ripping up” the work of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as his England side prepare to face Pakistan in the first Test in Leeds, on the Yorkshireman’s return to the captaincy.
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BBC SportThis content is not available in your location. There was an error Speaking on the morning of the opening Test against Pakistan, Joe Root says he's "really excited" to be England captain for a second time and has called on his team to build on the foundations laid by former skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
Sky SportsTuesday 18 August 2026 18:46, UK Returning England Test skipper Joe Root says he feels "as ready as any other England captain", adding he has no plans on "ripping up" the Bazball blueprint that preceded his second stint in charge.
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Root has captained England on a record 65 occasions, his first permanent spell from 2017 to 2022 ending with a run of just one win in 17 Tests before Ben Stokes took over in step with head coach Brendon McCullum.
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BBC SportRoot may feel he is better placed to captain England now, yet he is taking over if not a worse, then certainly a much more inexperienced team. Perhaps he will find this group easier to mould in his image. In his first Test as captain, in 2017, Root was the third-youngest player in the XI. In 2026, at the age of 35, he is comfortably the oldest.
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The three-match series is the first since the retirement of Stokes from international cricket and the removal of McCullum from his red-ball role. Root could not escape questions about the former captain and how his side goes about replacing him.
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BBC SportHis job as a leader will be to mould a group of players whose education in Test cricket was hampered by the informal approach of Stokes and McCullum. That point about Stokes not leaving the England squad in a better place than he found it? Root's team have questions about an opener and wicketkeeper, a makeshift number three, no obvious all-round option and are without a world-class spinner.
Sky SportsBut, after an impressive first couple of years to the Bazball era, the 2-1 series defeat to New Zealand earlier this summer saw Stokes retire from international cricket during the final Test and subsequently prompted McCullum's removal as red-ball head coach.
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Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the series opener against England due to a finger injury, with Salman Ali Agha taking temporary charge at Headingley.
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The Guardian SportRoot will be up against a new Test captain. Babar Azam has been ruled out of the series opener after hurting his right hand in Pakistan’s warm-up fixture at Beckenham last week, prompting Salman Ali Agha to take the role at Headingley. It is a major blow for a side who have not won a Test series away from home since 2023.
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Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Sky Sports "I don't think there's a huge amount we need to change. It's small things that will make a big difference," Root said ahead of the three-Test series against Pakistan, which starts on Wednesday at Headingley - live on Sky Sports Cricket, from 10am (first ball 11am).
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02 ESPNcricinfo England enter post-Bazball era against forever-in-turmoil Pakistan Joe Root will start his second innings as captain while Pakistan will be without Babar Azam
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03 BBC Sport Published Of all the places for England to begin a new era, Headingley is the most difficult to shake off the memory of Ben Stokes.
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04 The Guardian Sport “It’s a big void to fill and someone that’s been ever present for the best part of 15 years, so clearly it’s been different [not having him around],” said Root. “One thing I think is really important for all of us is we don’t get too stuck in the last six months and we don’t get too caught up in the next six months.
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05 NDTV Sports England vs Pakistan: Joe Root On Cusp Of Breaking Ricky Ponting's Huge World Record Joe Root needs 79 runs to break the record for the most runs scored in home Tests.
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- ndtv-sports
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- espncricinfo
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- guardian-sport