England’s former players are continuing to have their say regarding the future of the men’s Test captaincy – with both Jonathan Agnew and Mike Atherton acknowledging it was time for change away from Joe Root.
Writing for the BBC, Agnew said you couldn’t help but feel like it was the end of an era, following England’s 10-wicket defeat in Grenada.
The result handed the West Indies a series win after the first two matches were drawn, and meant that England have won just one of their last 17 Tests – a remarkable slump in form, especially when you consider that they won the first three Tests they played in 2021.
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Root has said he wants to stay on as captain, and despite his sparkling form with the bat in that time, his tactics and decision making have been broadly criticised.
“These things do come to an end. Like in football, teams tune out from what they are hearing from a manager. Have this team tuned out from Joe Root as captain?” Agnew wrote.
“Only they will know, but it would not surprise me if, when the new coach and managing director is in place, they decide to move on with a new captain.
“One thing is for certain, after a run of one win in 17 Tests, after the Ashes defeat and now this loss, Root’s future as captain is out of his hands.”
The voices are becoming louder and more frequent, with Michael Vaughan yesterday urging Root to quit as captain for his own good.
The main issue is that aside from Root, England’s options are limited. Fast bowling duo Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad turn 40 and 36, respectively, in a couple of months.
Former Test captain Mike Atherton believes that with the current make-up of the side, all-rounder Ben Stokes may work as a short-term option.
“As an inspirational cricketer and strong character, Ben Stokes is the obvious choice to succeed Root,” Atherton wrote in The Times.
“There is risk, for sure, given that the captaincy did not sit well with other similar style all-rounders, such as Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff, and many have raised concerns that the captaincy may diminish him as a player or overburden him given his workload.”
This game a day after his scathing assessment of the Root era, where he said the skipper had to know it was coming to an end.
“After a double failure of his own, twice out to the dobbing medium pace of Kyle Mayers, it felt like a moment to end the delusion. Root’s captaincy is untenable, and he must surely know it deep down,” he wrote.
Atherton cited Bob Willis, the pace bowler who captained England for two years in his mid-30s, as evidence that Broad or Anderson could do in a pinch – and that the next appointment doesn’t need to be one that’s made with the long-term future in mind.
“A short, sharp shock may be what the team need right now, as they come to terms with life under a new coach and a new director of cricket,” he said.
“They have sharp cricket brains, an intense desire to do well, set high standards for themselves and others, and can be abrasive,” he said of Anderson and Broad, who have 1177 wickets between them.
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