GLORY IS THE ROOT CAUSE
Captain Joe determined to revive England’s Test fortunes.. starting now
BULLISH Joe Root is confident he can reverse the fortunes of England’s faltering Test side and start a new era of success at HQ.
After suffering eight defeats in 2016, Root’s reign as England’s 80th captain begins today by taking on South Africa.
And with a familiarlooking set of players, who, he hopes, have learnt from their mistakes.
The positive, attacking batsman reckons he is capable of getting the best out of a team that will include Liam Dawson – the first time a second front-line spinner has been picked at Lord’s since 1993.
“I’ve always been quite confident in what I am capable of and I don’t see why I would do this any differently,” said Root.
“I wouldn’t have taken the job on if I didn’t think I was capable of doing it and of taking the side forward.
“We had a tough time in Test cricket last year, but a lot of the squad are very settled, learnt from that and are ready to put it right this year. More importantly, I want to make sure we get off to a good start this week and that everyone is ready. I need to make sure we’re in a good place as a team and we can get off to a good start in this series.”
Naturally positive as a batsman, Root’s job is to translate that approach to the rest of a team, which he had a big hand in choosing.
He even held an extra team meeting yesterday to help get that message across. Root confirmed the return of Gary Ballance for a third time and he will bat at three, so the new captain can slot in at four, highlighting how reluctant he was to switch under predecessor Alastair Cook.
It is a sure sign that Root is already calling the shots, since coach Trevor Bayliss had previously stated his preference for the best batsman to be at three. “I have had a long time to think about a few things since becoming captain.” added Root. “And that is the decision I have made.
“I think it is where I play my best cricket and where I have scored my best runs, so, hopefully, moving forward that can be settled and help the team.
“I look at how Gary has performed this year and the amount of runs he has scored – and he has been phenomenal.
“When he has scored them has generally been when the side has been up against it. He is that sort of character.
“A lot of people asked questions about the last time he played for England, but I look at his game now – as do the other selectors – and he is a completely different player.”