Joe Root has returned to the England Test captaincy carrying more than just a tactical brief. With Ben Stokes stood down and the ECB weighing an alcohol ban following the Chelsea nightclub incident, Root pushed back firmly on the narrative that has engulfed English cricket over the past week. The interim Captain addressed both the drinking culture debate and the future of his close friend Stokes, while making clear his sole focus for the days ahead is delivering a performance at the Kia Oval that shifts the conversation back to cricket.
Root rejects alcohol ban and dismisses drinking culture claims
Speaking to Sky Sports, Root was unequivocal in rejecting calls for a total alcohol ban and in pushing back against the characterisation of England as a team with a drinking problem. “I don’t necessarily think that’s the way to go. I don’t think there’s a drinking culture within our team. I think, like I said, there have been occasions where we’ve let ourselves down and we’ve got things wrong,” he said. Root acknowledged the incidents that have drawn scrutiny without accepting they represent the broader culture of the dressing room. “There’s been a few incidents where guys have let themselves down, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a fair reflection of our dressing room. We’ve got to obviously own it and know that that is not okay, but at the same time, I don’t think that’s a fair reflection on us as a team. We work incredibly hard,” he stated.
Root argued that team celebrations are a legitimate part of professional sport and should not be eliminated entirely. “We have to accept that and move forward from that and learn from that, but I also think that when you work towards something for a long time, there should be opportunities and chances where you can celebrate that and enjoy that with the team,” he continued. He was careful to frame the issue around judgment rather than prohibition. “Not everyone drinks anyway within our group, but you should be able to get together and celebrate that and spend that time. And some of my greatest memories and fondest memories have been in the dressing room afterwards,” he noted. “So, that’s good fun and good, good stuff that you can do off the back of winning, and what you work towards for a long period of time, but you’ve got to pick the right times and the right places, and I think that’s the important thing,” Root added.
Root backs Stokes and calls for trust to be rebuilt through performances
Root spoke to Stokes in the days following the nightclub incident but kept the contents of those conversations private. He gave a brief but telling update on his close friend’s state of mind. “I’ve spoken with Ben, he seems in a good place in the last week or so,” he said. On Stokes’ emotional response to the situation, Root was candid. “I think Ben feels like he’s let himself down, right? My main concern is, always, you look at the person and make sure that they’re okay, so that is first and foremost the most important thing, and then in terms of this week and moving forward as a team, it’s concentrating, making sure that everyone is fully on task and understanding of what’s ahead of us and what an exciting opportunity we have,” he explained.
Root was direct about the path back to public trust for the England team. “As a cricketer, the amount of time and pressure that you spend away from home, away from your families, in high-pressure environments, and mistakes have been made. We have to learn from those clearly, and we have to move on from those quickly, and we have to earn the trust of everyone back by being as professional as we can, and putting good performances in,” Root stated. On Stokes’ standing within the group, Root was equally clear. “I’m sure he has the respect of everyone in our dressing room. He’s been a phenomenal leader for a number of years,” he noted. Questions about Stokes’ future as Captain were firmly redirected. “I don’t think it’s fair for me to make those kind of decisions and answer those kind of questions. They’re decisions for people in a slightly different position to me,” Root said.
A different man returning to a familiar role
Speaking to media in his pre-match press conference, Root described his decision to accept the interim captaincy as one that came down to a simple calculation. “The only thinking that came to my mind is what is the best thing for this team, and is it going to have a big effect on me and my personal life, and which outweighed the other,” he explained. Root, who captained England in a record 64 Tests between 2017 and 2022, was unambiguous about his enthusiasm for the opportunity. “I had a little think about it, but yes. I’m very excited with the opportunity we have ahead of us. Being captain of this group of players is a really exciting opportunity,” he said.
Root insisted he is a fundamentally different person to the one who stepped away from the role more than four years ago. “I’m in a very different place to when I finished [as captain]. It’s going to be a really fun week, so I’m looking forward to getting out there on the field and playing again,” he added. Having operated purely as a batter under Stokes and Head Coach Brendon McCullum, Root revealed he had quietly envied the working relationship Stokes enjoyed with McCullum from a leadership position. “I do think I’ve enjoyed the last couple of days, working with Baz [McCullum] in a slightly different space,” he noted. “One thing I’ve been envious of – in a good way – is being able to work with Baz in this sort of capacity. It’s been really cool, the last couple of days,” Root continued.
Root and Brook aligned as England field a new-look XI
Root was resolute about keeping his focus narrow, taking the captaincy strictly on a game-by-game basis. “Let’s not look beyond this week. That’s the most important thing, trying to deliver a really good performance this week. It’s quite a young group of players. So, [I want] to offer my experience in that capacity and focus purely on trying to deliver this week,” he said. The squad for the Kia Oval Test includes debutants Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker, with a possible third debut for Somerset’s James Rew should wicketkeeper Jamie Smith be unavailable due to the imminent birth of his child.
Root praised white-ball Captain Harry Brook’s presence alongside him in the field, describing their alignment as one of the week’s strengths. “I’ve got some some brilliant people around me. I’ve got a brilliant cricket brain in Harry Brook who stands next to me at second slip, who’s done a brilliant job with the white-ball stuff,” Root stated. “We see the game very similarly, in different ways sometimes. But again – the fact that we are on the same page is a big strength,” he added. Root also described the coaching environment under McCullum as unlike anything from his previous tenure. “I have never had more fun and got more out of a group of coaches than this one,” he said.
Why Root walked away in 2022 — and why this feels different
Root was candid about the personal cost of his first captaincy tenure, which ended with one win in 17 Tests and a decision driven as much by personal wellbeing as by results. The Covid era had taken a particular toll. “We played around 20 Test matches in those Covid environments and watched the rest of the world go back to normality around you,” he noted. “Over time that took its toll on the group but also myself,” Root continued. The cumulative weight left him unrecognisable to himself. “I found I ended up being so consumed with everything I wasn’t the person I wanted to be and it was the right time to step away, not just because our performances weren’t where they needed to be,” he explained.
Root has no regrets about that decision and views it as having served English cricket well. “It was a great opportunity for a fresh start for English cricket and was absolutely the right decision,” he stated. With the second Test beginning at the Kia Oval on June 17 and a third Test at Trent Bridge scheduled for June 25, Root’s immediate priority is a performance that moves English cricket’s conversation back to what happens on the field.
