England captaincy could be what Root needs - Vaughan
England captaincy could be what Root needs - Vaughan
Joe Root returns to the England captaincy having previously led them to 27 Test wins in 65 matches
- Published
Former skipper Michael Vaughan has said the England Test captaincy could be "exactly what Joe Root needs".
Speaking on the Test Match Special podcast, Vaughan said the 35-year-old's return to the role, having led the team from 2017 to 2022, might prove to be motivation in the later stages of his career.
"I just wonder from Joe's perspective if he needed this to get that real enthusiasm to get up every morning to play Test match cricket," said Vaughan.
"The amount of cricket that he's played, I just wonder whether he needed this little trigger, this little motivational tool.
"He hasn't got that many of his close friends in the team any more, a lot of his team-mates have retired or moved on, so maybe this is exactly what Joe Root needs as well."
Root returns to the captaincy under the charge of interim head coach Marcus Trescothick after Brendon McCullum was sacked, before New Zealander Stephen Fleming takes over the Test leadership for this winter's tour of South Africa.
He stepped down as captain in 2022 after a 10-wicket loss to West Indies, their ninth match without a win, citing the "toll" and "impact" the role had on him.
However, Vaughan stated he believed Root had been dealt a "dodgy hand" during his time as Test captain.
"Around the time he was appointed England were trying to win the 50-over World Cup and all the England eggs were put in the white-ball basket," said Vaughan.
"Then Covid struck. None of us would know how hard it would be to captain in a Covid time - Joe had to do that.
"That Caribbean tour where it came to an end, it looked like a job that was a little bit too far for him. He's a little bit older, a little bit wiser. I think Stephen Fleming will help out with a lot of the stuff that some captains get drained by - organising the dressing room and making sure the tactical side of the team is in good order.
"I just think in terms of his motivation and in terms of what is left for Joe Root to achieve in the game, of course there's a few runs to get past Sachin [Tendulkar's all-time Test run-scoring record] but if he can be an Ashes winner next year, a world leader in runs he's scored in Test cricket, you can't ask for a more perfect career."
Stumped podcast: New era for England as Stephen Fleming appointed Test coach
Fleming 'the next best' after Flower
Stephen Fleming has coached Southern Brave in The Hundred and has coached in every season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2010
Fleming has been appointed on a four-year deal that will mean he coaches England in the next two Ashes series, and Vaughan said managing director Rob Key has selected a "very experienced" option.
Former England Test coach Andy Flower was initially linked with the role, but Royal Challengers Bengaluru and London Spirit coach ruled himself out of the process.
Fleming joins after leaving Chennai Super Kings this month, having coached the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise for the past nine seasons.
"Andy Flower, I think from what I've read is the one that they wanted. He turned that down so it was like 'OK, how do we get the next best?'" Vaughan said of Fleming.
"Some will say he's not coached in red-ball cricket but you've got a very experienced manager, very experienced coach who's been around the modern game with Chennai Super Kings over the course of the last few years.
"He was a very, very good captain back in the day, a very good tactician, renowned for being a really good man-manager.
"Having McCullum still as the white-ball coach and then having someone coaching the Test team who doesn't know McCullum, that could have been really tricky.
"I think Stephen Fleming has been brought in for that reason - he's obviously very close to McCullum.
"They needed someone who could work with McCullum because someone that doesn't know Baz and his style, I think it could have got very, very messy."
Fleming, who retired from playing in 2009, has a wealth of experience in Test cricket, making 111 appearances for New Zealand, scoring 7,172 runs with an average of 40.06 in the middle order.
McCullum was known for promoting an aggressive form of cricket, dubbed Bazball by fans and the media, but Vaughan said Fleming will have to make changes to England's style and technique.
"I'm kind of sick and tired of talking about England's style of play. The style of play I want to see is England winning," Vaughan added.
"Whatever that style is on that given day, session, hour, England have to play the right style of cricket that wins games of cricket.
"We can only talk about talent and the gulf of talent in English cricket for so long - they've got to start winning games of cricket and winning trophies now.
"The one thing this Test team needs is coaching the technical side of batting.
"How many of them can look themselves in the mirror and when Michael Neser, Matt Henry, Scott Boland bowls that good length just on or around that off stump, can play a controlled forward defence shot?
"They won't like saying it and they won't like talking about technique, but technique wins Test match cricket and the technical side of England's players and batting has been found wanting.
"So it's all right putting a good leader of the group, but I also think they need one or two changes in the backroom team to make sure these players are getting really well coached as well."