England’s record of one win in their last 17 Tests is clearly not good enough but Joe Root is still the right man to skipper the side, former bowler Darren Gough told Reuters.
Root has come under pressure after England slumped to a 4-0 defeat in the last Ashes series and lost 1-0 in West Indies, with former captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain among those saying it was time for a leadership change. Since taking charge in 2017, Root has led the side in a record 64 Tests.
His 27 wins and 26 defeats as captain are also records. Gough, who had a stint as England’s fast bowl-ing consultant in 2019, said Root enjoyed the utmost respect of players in the dressing room and that there was no clear “natural successor”.
“If you’re looking at results alone, one win in 17 is not good enough, of course,” Gough said. “But having been in the England dressing room, I can assure you that he’s so well respected by every single player in that team.—APP
