Joe Root admits the England side descended into “chaos” before he returned as Test captain but believes things are back on track after sealing a series whitewash over Pakistan.
Root, who previously served as skipper for five years before standing down in 2022, answered his country’s call after the dramatic retirement of Ben Stokes in June.
Stokes announced his shock departure midway through the Trent Bridge decider against New Zealand, having been stood down from the previous match following a disciplinary probe into a nightclub trip with team-mate Gus Atkinson.
Head coach Brendon McCullum was subsequently stripped of his red-ball responsibilities, briefly leaving the Test side with a worrying leadership vacuum.
But Root’s return, in concert with interim head coach Marcus Trescothick, has brought a hat-trick of comfortable wins at Headingley, Lord’s and now Edgbaston, steadying the ship ahead of Stephen Fleming’s arrival as McCullum’s long-term successor.
The Kiwi is due to arrive in the country in the coming days and Root believes he will find a team that has put its turbulent recent past to one side.
“There’s been a lot of chaos around this series before a ball was bowled,” he said after hitting 62 not in Saturday’s eight-wicket win.
“I think the way we’ve handled it on and off the field, the way everyone understands what is expected of them – both as a player and how we want to carry ourselves – is a really good thing.
“It’s been a very unusual summer, hasn’t it? There’s been a lot of different things happen. We had a resignation mid-series, there has been a few off-field incidents and we’ve got a new coach. Whether you call it chaos, whether you call it unusual, whether you call it unsettling, all of those are fair.
“But ultimately, the thing that I care about and the most important thing is what happens from that. I think the way that we’ve responded to that has been excellent. And the fact that there’s now clarity in what is expected of the group moving forward is quite evident. We build on that now.”
Root had only been back in the saddle a matter of days when another alcohol-related incident hit the headlines, with Brydon Carse arrested and later de-arrested outside a Derby nightspot in events that remain under investigation.
He was removed from the squad and has not been picked since, with Root laying down the law about the standards of behaviour he expected from a group that had attracted criticism for being unprofessional.
“When you’re trying to build a culture it doesn’t happen overnight and it doesn’t happen over the course of three or four weeks,” Root reflected.
“It’s going to take time to keep working at that, living it day in and day out, and that’s something we’ll continue to keep working at. We’ve made some really good strides in the right direction.
“We’ve just got to keep doing the right things and if we can align that with playing well and winning series then everything is heading in the right direction.”
Pakistan finally put England under some pressure in Birmingham after flaccid efforts in the first two games.
A stunning cameo from debutant Razaullah left the hosts chasing 130 and two Mohammad Abbas wickets in the first over of the chase caused some jitters before Root and Jordan Cox eased to the line.
“We’ll be better for it, we’ll learn from it and be prepared next time around,” Root said.
“You learn a lot about your team in those kind of situations.”
