Yorkshire's Joe Root vows not to ‘rip up’ Bazball as he starts 2nd stint as Test captain
Root will begin his second chapter as skipper on home turf at Headingley this week, the first in a three-match series against Pakistan
Last updated 18th Aug 2026
Returning England captain Joe Root has no intention of “ripping up” the Bazball blueprint but believes his experience could be vital in putting the Test team back on track.
Root will begin his second chapter as skipper on home turf at Headingley this week, the first in a three-match series against Pakistan, picking up the pieces after a turbulent period that saw Ben Stokes’ dramatic retirement and Brendon McCullum’s removal as red-ball head coach.
The decision to install Root, who earned a reputation for conservative leadership during an initial five-year reign that ended unhappily in 2022, suggested a willingness to banish some of the tactical excesses that characterised Stokes’ tenure, but he hinted a gentler transition.
“I don’t think there’s a huge amount we need to change,” he said. “It’s small things that will make a big difference.
“It’s not about ripping it up, I think it’s about keeping a lot of the good stuff we’ve been doing for a period of time, stuff that Ben and Baz built for a long while.
“I don’t believe there is one way of playing Test cricket. You’ve got to be adaptable and play the situation. It’s never the same throughout five days, there’s different challenges and you’ve got to adjust to the ebbs and flows throughout.”
As for his own readiness to return to a role that had become an albatross around his neck towards the end of his prior stint, 35-year-old Root made it clear that he was fully prepared to embrace the challenge one more time.
“The landscape is different,” he said. “I’m a different player and person than I was when I (first) took over as captain.
“I’m in a very fortunate, unique position where I’ve got 60-odd games of experience to look back on. There are things I might want to change and do slightly differently.
“I had time to step away, play in a different environment, different coach, different captain, and see the game from a different lens.
“In many ways I feel as ready as any other England captain that’s ever been before, and to have that amount of experience is invaluable.”
The knowhow Root has compiled over the course of 166 caps and 14 years is a resource England are sorely lacking elsewhere. with Stokes gone, the next most seasoned campaigner in his starting team is due to be Ben Duckett, on 46 appearances.
He is also working alongside an interim head coach in Marcus Trescothick, with Stephen Fleming taking an extended break before starting as McCullum’s successor, increasing the demands on Root to act as the steadying hand after a chaotic summer.
“I think that my natural personality is probably suited to that,” he said.
“It’s about looking after the here and now. Getting too caught up in what’s come before is not going to help us. It is new… there has a been a lot of change, but that’s OK. I don’t think that’s anything to worry us. We should be excited about what lies ahead.”
One of Root’s first acts was to abolish the team’s contentious midnight curfew, which played a part in Stokes’ eventual estrangement, while keeping some of the expectations that came with it.
“You always want to represent your country in the best possible light. We might have fallen short of that on a few occasions in the recent past,” Root admitted to the BBC.
“The only thing we can be to rectify that is be really good role models, good human beings and put in really strong performances on the field. That does take time and the first opportunity to do that is this week.”