Butcher Unhappy with Joe Root as Test Captain

Following Ben Stokes‘ retirement from the format, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) reappointed Joe Root as Test captain, a decision that former England batsman Mark Butcher questioned.

The former left-handed bat believes that returning leadership to Root would be a step backward and might undermine England’s recent progress.

The ECB appointed Root as captain after Stokes announced his retirement from Test cricket late last month. Although the experienced batsman previously captained England from 2017 to 2022, the squad faced one of its most challenging spells before Brendon McCullum and Rob Key came, ushering in a new era.

Butcher believed that England’s aggressive tactics under Stokes and McCullum was directly related to Root’s troubles as captain.

“Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum, Rob Key were the reaction to Joe Root’s captaincy the first time around,” Butcher told Sky Sports.

“This revolutionising of the way we play Test match cricket came off the back of 17 Test matches with only one victory under Joe.”

Butcher also expressed concern that Root’s batting, which has improved since his resignation as captain, will be harmed by captaincy duties once more.

“The best thing that happened to him and his game was that he was no longer captain. His batting has improved much since then, and I hoped it would continue, and he would be a devoted lieutenant to Harry Brook or whatever they chose would take over the job permanently.”

Michael Atherton endorses Root over Harry Brook.

Michael Atherton, a former England captain, believes that while Root may not be the best long-term option, he is now a safer choice than Brook. Although the batter was finally punished, it is believed that Brook’s leadership ambitions were influenced by the pub brawl that occurred during England’s tour of New Zealand last year.

Even during England’s most recent Test match against New Zealand, Atherton observed Root’s leadership flaws.

“Root’s limitations were revealed in the Test against New Zealand at the Oval last month, when it didn’t take long for his usual equanimity to disappear,” Atherton wrote in the Times.

“But needs must, and Root was never going to turn down the chance to help out. While Root’s appointment is not ideal, it is preferable to having Brook at the helm,” he explained.

England will now concentrate on their next three-match Test series against Pakistan, which begins on August 19 at Headingley.