Joe Root is excited by the list of candidates to come in as England coach and expects the team to put more emphasis on Test cricket. Trevor Bayliss stepped down as coach this summer after four years in charge which saw England focus on winning the World Cup on home soil. Although Root was an integral part of the 50-over side that triumphed in the most dramatic circumstances at Lord’s, they had mixed success in Test cricket.
As skipper, Root oversaw an historic series sweep in Sri Lanka and won the 2018 series against India at home, but his team also struggled in Australia, New Zealand and West Indies, and were unable to recover the Ashes at home this year. “One thing you always want from a new coach is a bit of energy and a slightly different way of going about things,” Root told PA.
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“Trevor did a brilliant job managing English cricket, but I’m sure whoever comes in will want to put their stamp on it quite early. “Personally, I’m looking forward to Test cricket being slightly more of a priority than it has been for the past few years.” Root made it clear that he isn’t involved in the selection process for the new coach, but spoke about Gary Kirsten – who is reportedly the leading candidate. “You look at the list and I’m thrilled with the names involved,” he said.
“There’s a lot of noise around certain individuals, but the group have all done special things and could bring good things to English cricket. “Gary has obviously had a fantastic time in international cricket, he’s done some wonderful things with India and South Africa – domestically done some good stuff, recently in Twenty20 cricket. He’s obviously a very accomplished, all-round coach.”
