None of these questions were answered directly by the England management last week, which was deliberately vague about Stokes’ future while two disciplinary processes take place – one run internally by England and the other by the cricket regulator. Rob Key, Brendon McCollum, and now Root himself took turns asking the leading questions.
Even so, it is clear that none of the three have given any guarantees that Stokes will play for England again. Root’s best effort on Tuesday was to insist that Stokes has “the respect of everyone in our dressing room”, but he declined to comment on whether he would like to see him return as captain, turning instead to “people who work in a slightly different job”.
Root said he had spoken privately with Stokes in recent days, but described their conversations as “special conversations” that should “keep between us.” His answers, like McCullum’s on Monday, seemed designed to defer speculation about Stokes’ future as much as possible but only added to the feeling of uncertainty about his mental state and desire to return.
Perhaps the most telling answer Root gave came when he described the impact five years as team captain, from 2017 to 2022, had on his mental health. “I found I was so done with everything that I wasn’t the person I wanted to be,” he said. “It was the right time to step away, and not just because our performance wasn’t where it should be.”
England’s results in the final days of Root’s captaincy, one win in 17 Tests, were significantly worse than under Stokes, which was exacerbated by the challenges of Covid restrictions. However, his description of his final days in the job almost sounded like a description of Stokes, whose manner throughout the Test match week at Lord’s had seemed strange, long before the long Sunday afternoon drinking session.
And while the possibility of Stokes resigning as captain, or perhaps even retiring altogether, has diminished since last week, neither McCullum, Key nor even Root have ruled out the possibility of him captaining England for the last time, by choice or otherwise. Whatever happens this week, it is difficult to see him back in time for the third Test at Trent Bridge next Thursday.
Root described his return to the captaincy as being on a “game by game” basis, but did not rule out the idea that it could last longer than this series: “The only thought that comes to my mind is, what is the best thing for the team?” and “Will it have a significant impact on me and my personal life?” And the one that outperformed the other… I felt like it was the right thing to do.
It leaves open an option that seemed impossible even a week ago: that if Stokes does not return to the captaincy, Root could reclaim it on a short-term basis. This will only be a temporary arrangement, but provided England win this series and Root does not feel his form is suffering, it could continue until next summer’s home Ashes series.
Root said he would rely heavily on Brook’s “brilliant cricketing mind” in the slip cordon this week – in the same way Pat Cummins often relies on Steven Smith – and it would make sense for it to be a combined ticket: Root, the public face of the operation, rebuilding the team’s culture, with Brook empowered as vice-captain to make his tactical mark on the game.
Root had shown no interest in captaincy over the last four years and was an ideal player for Stokes’ team. He bought into the new England identity immediately and wholeheartedly, and has averaged 54.90 in the last four years with 16 hundreds. It was a remarkable return to the ranks after five years in charge.
But he’s clearly in a healthier and happier place than he was four years ago. “In a small way — in a good way — I was a little jealous of that opportunity to work with someone like Baz in that kind of capacity,” he said. “It’s been really cool… I’m a completely different player and I have a different way of looking at the game than the last time I was captain, in a good way.”
The next two weeks will provide a clearer view on whether Root is a viable short-term option should Stokes not return to the captaincy, and results will clearly be vital. But if Root can lead a young, inexperienced team to back-to-back wins with Brock by his side, perhaps this arrangement becomes more than just a stopgap.
Matt Roller is a senior reporter at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98
