LONDON: Joe Root warned England’s rivals they are not a ‘one-trick pony’ after the side secured a sixth Test victory in seven matches with their new brand of hyper-aggressive cricket.
England’s fortunes in the red ball game have been transformed under their new management team of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.
The home side sealed a 2-1 series win over South Africa at the Oval on Monday, in addition to a 3-0 win over New Zealand and victory in the postponed game against the Oval. ‘India.
This stands in stark contrast to their dismal record in the later stages of Root’s captaincy, which ended in April with a win in 17 games.
Success under Stokes and McCullum has been attributed to unwavering positivity and led to rash dismissals, but Root feels England’s performances were more nuanced as the season progressed.
“We’re not just a one-trick pony,” he said. “There will always be cricket test periods which you have to manage well and smartly.
“We haven’t succeeded every time this summer, but we’ve succeeded more often and that’s why we’re sitting here with six (wins) out of seven (tests).
“We’re certainly not the finished article, but seeing the progress we’ve made in such a short time has truly been a breath of fresh air.”
England chased over 275 totals in the fourth leg of three Tests against New Zealand and then set a new record against India, easily hitting their target of 378.
The former Root skipper, who has averaged 68 at an impressive strike rate across seven matches, believes the team’s progress under Stokes is similar to England cricket’s transformation into a clean ball under captain skipper Eoin Morgan .
This culminated in their triumph of 50 World Cup victories in 2019.
“I’ve never had so much fun playing professional cricket,” Root said. “Honestly, it’s hard to put into words. You show up every day and you’re very excited about what’s to come. It’s the unknown.
“It’s a pretty weird feeling to have played around 120 games and still have that feeling when you show up every day. It’s a really good place to be.
“Keeps you very hungry and motivated. You can bounce off the energy of anyone who is of the same mindset.”
England’s fortunes in the red ball game have been transformed under their new management team of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.
The home side sealed a 2-1 series win over South Africa at the Oval on Monday, in addition to a 3-0 win over New Zealand and victory in the postponed game against the Oval. ‘India.
This stands in stark contrast to their dismal record in the later stages of Root’s captaincy, which ended in April with a win in 17 games.
Success under Stokes and McCullum has been attributed to unwavering positivity and led to rash dismissals, but Root feels England’s performances were more nuanced as the season progressed.
“We’re not just a one-trick pony,” he said. “There will always be cricket test periods which you have to manage well and smartly.
“We haven’t succeeded every time this summer, but we’ve succeeded more often and that’s why we’re sitting here with six (wins) out of seven (tests).
“We’re certainly not the finished article, but seeing the progress we’ve made in such a short time has truly been a breath of fresh air.”
England chased over 275 totals in the fourth leg of three Tests against New Zealand and then set a new record against India, easily hitting their target of 378.
The former Root skipper, who has averaged 68 at an impressive strike rate across seven matches, believes the team’s progress under Stokes is similar to England cricket’s transformation into a clean ball under captain skipper Eoin Morgan .
This culminated in their triumph of 50 World Cup victories in 2019.
“I’ve never had so much fun playing professional cricket,” Root said. “Honestly, it’s hard to put into words. You show up every day and you’re very excited about what’s to come. It’s the unknown.
“It’s a pretty weird feeling to have played around 120 games and still have that feeling when you show up every day. It’s a really good place to be.
“Keeps you very hungry and motivated. You can bounce off the energy of anyone who is of the same mindset.”