Joe Root's Captaincy Record As England Test Captain

Joe Root's Test Captaincy Record for England (Source: AFP)

As per recent reports, Joe Root is set to be reappointed as England’s Test captain, with his second stint in the role potentially extending through to next summer’s home series against Australia.

England’s search for a new captain in the wake of the international retirement of Ben Stokes looks to have gone in Root’s direction. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is set to announce that Root will captain the team for the three-Test series against Pakistan that begins on August 19, and most likely take in next year’s Ashes.

England’s search for a new captain and a new coach began in June

The ECB has faced a testing month since the chaotic end to their first Test assignment of the home summer against New Zealand left them needing a new captain and a new coach.

Their regular captain Ben Stokes retired during the third Test of the series, which England lost 2-1, with the decision then made to replace Brendon McCullum after four years as the red-ball coach.

During the series, the ECB asked former England Test and ODI captain Root to stand in for the second Test against the Kiwis after Stokes was suspended for the night-club scandal in Chelsea.

Root actually enjoyed being back in charge at the Oval last month even though he was dealt the toughest of hands, having to lead a side against New Zealand that included three Test debutants and two other players with only one appearance each.

Nonetheless, as the reports emerge, in this article let’s take a look at Joe Root captaincy record as England Test captain and his journey.

Why was Joe Root removed from England Test captaincy?

Joe Root stepped down from Test captaincy in April 2022 for the betterment of England cricket.

Following a disastrous run in red-ball cricket under Root, where England won just one game in the 17 matches played between February 2021 and March 2022, Root decided to give up on leadership.

“For a number of reasons, it was the right thing to do - to step back. It needs someone to throw absolutely everything at it. As soon as I made that decision, it was quite clear that it was the right one, and I've not looked back." 

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"I gave everything to that role and threw everything at it. I am really proud of the way I went about that,” Root told Sky Sports at the time of his retirement.

However, it is worth noting that Root’s resignation came after a series of public scrutiny. Notably, the man he succeeded, Alastair Cook, himself warned Root that the relentless focus on the "positives" within England's dressing-room is running the risk of sounding "deluded".

At the time, Ben Stokes, Root’s vice-captain, was the best player in the team and thus succeeded him as captain, with Brendon McCullum soon selected as England’s Test coach to inject aggressive energy, revive a struggling red-ball side, and implement an entertaining, front-foot playing style known as “Bazball”.

Joe Root's England Test captaincy record

The 31-year-old was appointed Sir Alastair Cook's successor in 2017, and holds the record for the highest number of matches and wins as captain.

Root’s first stint as Test captain between 2017 and 2022 was defined by extremely polarising records. By the time he stepped down in April 2022, he had overseen a record 64 Test matches. Moreover, he has been given an opportunity to lead the side very recently against New Zealand, expanding the tally to 65.

As seen in the Joe Root captaincy record as England Test captain table, he is statistically the Three Lions’ most successful Test captain with 27 victories to his credit, surpassing Michael Vaughan’s previous record of 26.

On the other hand, a dismal stretch at the final stages left Root with 26 defeats, the highest number of losses suffered by any English skipper.

In the 3rd Test against New Zealand in the recently concluded series, Root further failed to secure a victory.

Touted as one of the finest Test batters in the modern day, Root experienced a notable dip in his batting numbers, with his average dropping by roughly 8 runs, from 52.80 to 46.44. The immense burden of carrying a team took a toll on his numbers, leading to a stretch without a Test century.  

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