Muristek
Joe Root’s sad but inevitable departure leaves England with huge gaps at the top | Ali Martin
Captain’s brave decision to step down exacerbates an already worrying leadership vacuum in men’s cricket
There are seven weeks to go until the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s and English cricket is without a permanent chair, a managing director of men’s cricket, a head coach, a selector and now a captain. Things may start to move quickly on the managing director front in the coming days, but it is still a remarkable leadership vacuum.Joe Root’s decision to step down on Good Friday was much like Alastair Cook’s five years ago; a race having been run and the eventual realisation that a fresh voice was required in the dressing room. Similarly, the news was broken via official channels despite both men sharing it with teammates in advance, with the lack of a leak underlining the regard in which they were held.
There was also, like Cook, a stated desire from Root to still give everything to the cause. The 31-year-old may have had shortcomings as a leader and a tactician, all the while working with a talent pool shrunk by English cricket’s lurch towards the white ball formats and during a global pandemic. But his personal form over the past 12 months has been celestial and his lack of ego is such that his replacement - most likely Ben Stokes - will get a selfless, trustworthy senior player in the ranks who is unlikely to brood or cause disruption.
Continue reading...