England captaincy could be what Root needs – VaughanImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Joe Root returns to the England captaincy having previously led them to 27 Test wins in 65 matchesByMike PeterBBC Sport journalistPublished24 minutes agoFormer skipper Michael Vaughan has mentioned the England Test captaincy could be “exactly what Joe Root needs”.Speaking on the Test Match Special podcast, Vaughan mentioned the 35-year-old’s return to the role, having led the team from 2017 to 2022, might prove to be motivation in the later stages of his career.
“I just wonder from Joe’s perspective if he needed this to get that real enthusiasm to get up every morning to play Test match cricket,” mentioned Vaughan.
“The amount of cricket that he’s played, I just wonder whether he needed this little trigger, this little motivational tool.
“He hasn’t got that many of his close friends in the team any more, a lot of his team-mates have retired or moved on, so maybe this is exactly what Joe Root needs as well.”
Root returns to the captaincy under the charge of interim head coach Marcus Trescothick after Brendon McCullum was sacked, before New Zealander Stephen Fleming takes over the Test leadership for this winter’s tour of South Africa.
He stepped down as captain in 2022 after a 10-wicket loss to West Indies, their ninth match without a win, citing the “toll” and “impact” the role had on him.
However, Vaughan stated he believed Root had been dealt a “dodgy hand” during his time as Test captain.
“Around the time he was appointed England were trying to win the 50-over World Cup and all the England eggs were put in the white-ball basket,” mentioned Vaughan.
“Then Covid struck. None of us would know how hard it would be to captain in a Covid time – Joe had to do that.
“That Caribbean tour where it came to an end, it looked like a job that was a little bit too far for him. He’s a little bit older, a little bit wiser. I think Stephen Fleming will help out with a lot of the stuff that some captains get drained by – organising the dressing room and making sure the tactical side of the team is in good order.
“I just think in terms of his motivation and in terms of what is left for Joe Root to achieve in the game, of course there’s a few runs to get past Sachin [Tendulkar’s all-time Test run-scoring record] but if he can be an Ashes winner next year, a world leader in runs he’s scored in Test cricket, you can’t ask for a more perfect career.”
