Is Root The Right Man For Captain?

[Garaman]

Trevor Bayliss said that we lost the third test on day two with the way we batted, but I would argue we lost it on day one with a dreadful decision to put India in. Joe Root is a terrific player but is he the right man to captain the team?

I wouldn't have brought Stokes back for that game either as I have previously said, so he made two big errors as far as I am concerned.

[Buenchico]

Root is an excellent captain, with a far more attacking approach than many of his predecessors and a greater willingness to experiment with bowlers. I can't see that Jos Buttler (who, as the present vice-captain, would probably take over if Root went) would be able to do any better.

[Canary42]

Dropping Curran, who was arguably the star of the previous Test, was silly.

[dannyk13]

I think that Stokes's performance justified his recall.

[jno]

it's only a week since England won by an innings (somewhat weather-assisted). And there's no obvious replacement.

For all that, Morgan seems to have turned the white-ball teams into much stronger units than Root's done with the test team. But that may be to do with the man-management part of the job rather than with calling at the toss.

[goodgoalie]

I think Root should not be captain, and be left to concentrate on his batting: at four. He's only coming in at 3 because we can't find anyone good enough to bat there! Bairstow would be a better captain - he's got The Right Stuff, imo.
Jennings is the the most ungainly 'wicket waiting to happen' I've ever seen, and should be jettisoned immediately, never to be seen again. Curran should have played rather than Stokes, and if we have to play a spinner, Ali would be better than the average Rashid, who bowls a bad ball every over. And Ali's just hit a double hundred for Worcs.
Couldn't get over what an unusual action Bumrah has - really wouldn't like to face him, a bit like it must have been to face Malinga for the first time!

[jno]

I don't think Curran would have done better than Stokes. The real problem is Cook. Root may be a 3 or 4 but he's coming in as a makeshift opener when the ball is new, far too often - and he isn't an opener and he knows it, which is why he bats down the order.

The selectors keep trying to create an opening partnership between Cook and X, and I think the reason it keeps not working is because Cook's on his last legs, which undermines new boy X. Better pick two young players and try to get them to form a new combination from scratch.

[Garaman]

//I think that Stokes's performance justified his recall.//


Averaged 34 with the bat (most of that when it was a lost cause) and took 2 wickets for 122. We changed a winning team and lost. Does his performance justify his recall?

[dannyk13]

On reflection, maybe not.

[Garaman]

Sorry averaged 36 - can't add up!