CAPTAIN JOE’S CALL TO ARMS
JOE ROOT has picked up the phone to every England player in the last two weeks in an effort to maintain dressing-room bonds.
But England’s Test captain admits the coronavirus lockdown has been tricky for international team-mates who normally live in each other’s pockets.
While everyone is having to adapt to a new reality with no imminent sign of a return to normal, Root is trying to be the hub around which his players can rally for support.
“I’ve been in touch with every single player who played across the course of the winter throughout the last couple of weeks, making sure everyone is okay and is getting their stuff done,” he said.
“I’ve been trying to get a bit of feedback as well.We have time on our hands to have a good assessment of where we are as a team, look at a few things and use this as an opportunity to improve things and where we might want to take the team forward.
“There is a lot of uncertainty about when things will start again. One thing the guys have done really well is try to stay active, stay fit, stay positive.”
Root conceded the abandonment of the Sri Lanka tour – England would have concluded the two-Test series today – has interrupted the momentum gained from the win over South Africa earlier this year.
“There are more important things to concern ourselves with but, from a cricketing point of view, we were preparing ourselves well for the two Test matches in Sri Lanka and we made big strides in South Africa,” he said.
“It felt like we were in a very strong position to do something again.”
WithWest Indies due to play the first of three early summer Tests in the first week of June, there is the possibility of another postponement.
England have a limited-overs tour scheduled in India in September and October, the
World T20 in Australia in October and November and a five-Test tour of India starting in January.
Root said: “I am sure there are a number of different scenarios we may have to find ourselves looking at down the line but it could make it a very tough winter.
“It would be a huge amount of workload on some of the players, especially the multi-format players.
“We have had to endure some quite tough winters in the past and found ways to get through them. In many ways it will be interesting to see how they can fit it in, looking at the schedule as it is right now.
“If it goes ahead that way, we will have to be able to adapt, look at squad sizes.
“It will be quite different and we’ll have to make sure guys are not blown out, overworked, throughout that period.”
Until then, Root has a different challenge on his mind – keeping dressing-room spirits up without the dressing room.
England’s skipper has participated in some podcasts and there have been “a few quizzes flying around” in his native Yorkshire, something which Root may consider adopting at international level.
“It’s one of the things that you can never replicate – that dressingroom environment building something together as a group of players,” he said.
“It’s certainly become more evident the longer that we spend apart.
“It’s only been two-and-a-bit weeks. If it goes on for a good while yet, I can see that being the thing that really sticks out.”