As the Australian cricket team continues its march towards a probable 5-0 Ashes series result, much continues to be made of the appalling performances England continues to produce on home and foreign soil.
2021 was a nightmare year for Joe Root’s team, after winning two tests against Sri Lanka and one against India to start the year, the next 12 matches saw just a lone victory against India at Leeds and a cumulative total of nine losses against the consistent Indian, New Zealand and Australian teams.
Now the most capped of all English captains, Root seems likely to remain at the helm of what continues to appear a sinking ship and a team bereft of the talent required to tackle the best performing nations in world cricket.
Yet placing another man at the helm seems nonsensical considering the absence of serious contenders available to fill the role admirably, and Root’s personal performances with the bat make his selection in the team automatic. A total of 1708 runs at an average of 61.00 in 2021 make him one of the finest batsmen in the world and with the remainder of his squad flailing on a regular basis, he remains the logical man to lead them.
However, one of the most obviously disappointing parts of England’s Ashes tilt in Australia has been the aimless and indecisive captaincy that Root has brought to the contests and the subsequent advantage the Australians have taken in almost every session of the four tests played thus far.
Root's decision making has been littered with odd team selections, of which his input should not be underestimated, with poor use of his top line spinner Jack Leach and field placings that appear to show little confidence in the men exerting all the energy with the ball.
Men in the deep conceding easy singles to an Australian team looking to rotate the strike and a penchant to remove fielders from catching positions before the opposition batsmen have earned such a right, have been unfortunately regular features of Root’s captaincy.
After a promising start to his career as skipper, Root has now presided over one of the worst periods in the history of English test cricket. The poor results of 2020/21 have now seen England slump to the bottom rung of the World Test Championship table.
Whilst Root will no doubt continue to score heavily, and at age 31 has many years ahead as a top-line player, the key question for the English selectors is whether he is the man to lead this team of B-graders out of the current mire, or whether there is a more suitable candidate waiting in the wings.
On current team performances, he does not appear to be.
