Root in 'very different place' over Test captaincy

England's Joe Root is ready to embrace his second stint as Test captain, saying he is in a "very different place" to when he stepped down from the role four years ago.

First appointed captain in 2017, Root led England in a record 64 Tests and oversaw a record 28 wins as skipper before stepping down in April 2022 following a 10-wicket defeat by West Indies.

At that time, England had won just one of their past 17 Tests, including a 4-0 Ashes humbling away in Australia, while also navigating Covid restrictions, with Root admitting the job "took its toll" on his health.

"It had become a very unhealthy relationship, the captaincy and me. I couldn't leave it at the ground any more, it was coming home," Root said in June 2022.

"As soon as I made the decision, I knew it was the right thing to do. I felt like a big weight had been lifted."

Root has sparkled since relinquishing the captaincy, averaging over 54 since June 2022 compared to an average of 46.44 in the five years prior and scoring 16 of his 41 Test centuries.

However, he told BBC Sport he had no doubts when he was offered the opportunity to return to the role by incoming head coach Stephen Fleming, adding the New Zealander's appointment was a big factor in his decision.

Sheffield-born Root, 35, will begin his second stint as full-time captain against Pakistan at Headingley on 19 August, with Fleming joining up with the team ahead of December's tour of South Africa.

"It's one of the greatest honours you could wish to have. I'm very excited by it," Root, who filled the role on an interim basis in June when then captain Ben Stokes missed the second Test against New Zealand following an incident at a nightclub, told BBC Sport.

"I'm in a very different place to the last time I did it with a team in a very different position."

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On Fleming, who, like Root, holds national records for matches and wins as Test captain, he added: "I've admired him from afar, first as a player and recently as a coach. To get the chance to work together is going to be great fun.

"Once I'd spoken to Stephen about it and saw his energy and excitement for it and saw we're very aligned on it, I got excited very quickly."

Root and Fleming inherit a side in disarray, with series defeats in Australia and at home by New Zealand - which brought criticism of England's carefree playing style - coupled with a run of off-field disciplinary issues bringing the Bazball era to a disappointing conclusion when captain Stokes retired in June and coach Brendon McCullum was sacked a fortnight later.

The duo had previously overseen a resurgence in the Test side, winning 10 of their first 11 matches, and Root hopes he and Fleming can take inspiration from their tenure, rather than starting from scratch.

"Hopefully we can work and build on a lot of the good things that have happened over the last four years," Root said.

"I think Brendon and Ben did a brilliant job, in many ways, of turning things around and getting us in a position where hopefully now we can carry that forward in a slightly different way."

Expanding on his approach to his second captaincy in an in-house interview with the England & Wales Cricket Board, Root said: "The last four years have been the most fun I've had in professional cricket and a big part of that was down to the way they [McCullum and Stokes] got me to see the game.

"Clearly, the last little while is probably what's fresh in everyone's mind but you're looking at a four-year period where we did a lot of amazing things. I've taken a lot from that and I feel it will be a big part of how I want to approach things moving forward as a leader of this team.

"The thing that stands out the most for me is the shift in mindset that was created around how we want to play the game - trying to strip the fear away from things, make sure guys feel that they can really just allow their talent to come out as frequently as possible and in big moments in games. The more that can happen, the better.

"If we can do that alongside recognising when the right time is to put pressure back on teams, or when the right time is to soak it up and to maybe play situations slightly differently, become a little bit smarter in certain areas, then I think we'll be a very formidable team and a very difficult team to break down and to beat."

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