"Sometimes it amazes me that he gets questioned" - Paul Collingwood on Joe Root as England's Test captain
England's interim coach Paul Collingwood strongly backed Joe Root amid the Test skipper recently being in the firing line. The 2010 T20 World Cup-winning captain believes the former number one Test batter remains the best candidate to take the team forward.
Root's position as captain remains untenable following a disappointing series loss in the Caribbean. Following a 10-wicket loss in the third Test in Grenada, the right-handed batter still intends to continue in the role. He also reckons the dressing room still supports him.
Joe Root backs himself to lead England out of their current slump
es.pn/WIvENG22-Test3 | #WIvENG https://t.co/O2D23o1nLT
Collingwood, who revealed to have worked with Root for the first time as head coach, lauded his passion and hunger. The 45-year-old underlined the skipper's desperation to turn things around and that the entire team is behind him.
"Sometimes it amazes me that he gets questioned, because of how it feels within the dressing room. It’s the first time I’ve experienced him as a head coach and you can see the passion, the drive. There’s a hunger to get it right. These aren’t just words coming out of his mouth," Collingwood said, as quoted by The Guardian.
He added:
"He’s desperate to get the team back to winning. I can’t say anything but positivity in terms of what he’s done leadership-wise. You have to understand how it feels in the dressing room and how strong a leader he is. He has the full backing from all the players and the management as well. It feels like he is still very much our No 1 to take this team forward."
Former England cricketers like Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton, and Steve Harmison have called for Root to step down. Speaking to BT Sport, Harmison said he needs to take the step for his own good.
"Our decision-making wasn’t good enough" - Paul Collingwood
Collingwood admitted his frustration at England not seizing key moments. He believes they have plenty to work on while facing pressure situations. In this regard, he added:
"The frustration about not being able to take those last two wickets quickly on the third morning filtered into the batting in the afternoon. Our decision-making wasn’t good enough. It’s something we’ve got to improve upon in pressure situations. We realise that. I think we’ve done a hell of a lot of good things, which is why it’s even more gutting not to get the result in the end."
West Indies win the Test and the series.
A tough result to take, but amazing to see so many fans back travelling around the world watching the team post pandemic.
Thank you Antigua, Barbados and Grenada, simply incredible ❤️
#WIvENG https://t.co/iy2v1NlA19
It remains unclear whether Root will keep his position for the home summer, starting with the New Zealand tour in June.