February 21st 2023.
Joe Root says he hasn't been able to play as well as he'd wanted to.
Joe Root has scored more Test runs than any other batter currently playing the game, but the former England captain admits he has yet to nail down his identity in Ben Stokes' revolutionary regime.
Root's 10,700 runs places him 12th on the all-time list and top among those who are still active, with 28 centuries and an average of 49.30 underlining his world-class status.
Throughout his own five-year tenure as skipper, England's fortunes frequently lived and died on his performances, but things have changed since he passed the baton.
Last week's 267-run win over New Zealand in Mount Maunganui was their tenth victory in 11 games since Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum took charge last summer, with the whole team buying in to a relentlessly aggressive blueprint with bat and ball.
Root was outstanding in the early stages of that run, tucking in with three hundreds and an unbeaten 86 in Stokes' first four matches, but has added just a couple of half-centuries in the past seven Tests. While there is no concern whatsoever about his form within the camp – he averages a shade under 50 since the handover – Root is still working out where he fits in the new landscape.
‘I think I’ve just got to find out what sits best for me and that’s going to take some time,’ he said.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
England captain Ben Stokes has said that he hasn't been able to play as well as he's wanted to since taking charge of the team. Stokes has said that he's just trying to find out what his role is within the team, and that he hasn't been able to perform well in the past few Tests.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
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