Should Joe Root step down as England test captain? That has been a media held debate since the England cricket team’s latest series defeat, this time 1-0 away at West Indies.
Former players like Nasser Hussain, Mike Atherton and Geoff Boycott have said it’s time for change.
Michael Vaughan said he would advise Root to step down, while Steve Harmison said Root should step down for his own good.
I’m not one for calling for sackings hastily, but I tend to agree more with Harmison. I actually think the change should have been made after the Ashes.
KP believes Root should remain England Captain
One man vehemently disagreeing with all the above is Kevin Pietersen.
KP rightly says that changing Root will not cure England’s lack of batting talent, spin bowling options, and lack of quick bowlers. Pietersen blames the system, and I don’t disagree with his general point.
Where I do disagree with Pietersen is over Joe Root’s captaincy. Yes, there is no obvious replacement. But you can’t not change captain for that reason. There is always someone else!
Pietersen was left out of the England team on occasions, and on some of those occasions it was rightly said that this is what the opposition would want England to do.
The Opposition Love Root the Captain
I feel that is now where we are with Root’s captaincy. The opposition love having him as captain, as they know they can get the better of him in the crucial periods.
Whether that is totally down to Root, or due to the hand he’s been dealt is debatable. Personally, I think it’s a bit of both.
The bottom line is, for whatever reason Root is often found wanting as a captain at key moments in matches. In recent times, we’ve seen it at home to New Zealand and India, away at Australia in the Ashes, and now in the West Indies.
This could be down to having a scrambled brain due to the lack of quality in the team. Or it could be that Root is simply not good enough.
The English system is wrong, I get it. But I’m now certain that Joe Root is also the wrong man. You can’t blame Root for the English system. But you also can’t use the English system as a reason to defend Root.
And if England sticks with Root, little is going to change.
